Unmei Force: Soldiers
by Xovercreator
Summary: Richard, Sanae, Reisen, Marisa, and Gus, under new names, has entered the second World War between the Atlantic Federation and the East European Empire, as part of the Gallian Squad 7. What will happen to the Gallian team, when they meet with the travellers who have fought many wars before?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Beginnings in Bruhl

* * *

_In the GFS Ryujin..._

Richard immediately walked into the smaller secondary meeting room, as he noticed that everyone he needed was in the room. Gus and Marisa were sitting on one side of the table, while Reisen and Sanae were sitting on the other. He also noticed that Sanae was glaring at him with a dirty look, as he merely kept his eye on Sanae, while he walked over and sat down silently.

"I'm glad that you are all here before I am." Richard stated with a tone that expresses his respect of his teammates greatly.

"We know you well enough to get here earlier than you would." Gus answered back. "So... Another mission again...? So soon?"

"We need to act on all information as soon as possible." Richard responded, as he placed a hand on his chin. "We don't have the luxury of waiting long either. Besides, it has been quite a while since our last mission, Gus and Reisen. You shouldn't be complaining."

"We aren't. We're just stating our opinion in the fact that you've called us again for another mission." Reisen stated back, as she looked at Richard with a calm gaze.

"Fair enough, but this one is another member-specific mission, I'm afraid, and the alter-ego protocol is also in effect as well." Richard answered back. "And you'll have your explanation why. Let me set up the projector, so that you can get a glimpse on the world we are about to head to."

He then immediately activated the projector, before working with it, until it projected the image that Richard wanted, as it showed a screen that showed a burning town, where a large force of soldiers, that were clad in military suits, with varying amounts of feudal knight armour parts on them, as well as various weapons, ranging from the rifle, to sub-machine guns, and large lance-shaped rocket-launchers. There were also red markings on the invading force, as well as banners above them, which had a red flag with yellow borders, and a shield crest with symbols, eagle wings and claws on the sides, and a crown on top of it.

The footage continued to show that the defending forces consisted of soldiers in blue military gear, as they were mercilessly gunned down by the opposing forces, while their tanks were being attacked by the soldiers wielding the strangely-shaped rocket launchers, as the smaller rockets punched through the hull of the tank like paper, as the rockets exploded all in unison, turning the tank into a twisted heap of scrap metal, its crew certainly blown to pieces along with it.

"Now then, Sanae, could you tell us what this place is?" Richard asked Sanae, who seemed to have a sulking and bitter expression on her face, as she looked up at her friend with resentful eyes.

"Why don't you go tell them yourself...?" Sanae rebuked back harshly, as Marisa was shocked at the sudden change in Sanae's personality, while Gus was just as appalled. However, Richard didn't seem to react much to her biting words, as he merely sighed.

"This is about what happened in the last mission, right?" Richard asked back.

"First, you deny me my chance to pilot a giant robot, which is supposed to be one of my biggest dreams, and when you tell me to be a operator to help make things a bit more comforting for me, you never called upon my help even once, Richard... Not even once! How do you think I feel when I was given the short end of the stick here!?" Sanae answered back with a outraged tone.

"Useless and unwanted, I could guess." Richard stated back with a remorseful tone, before he then regained his composed tone. "But look, Sanae. Don't you think that it would be more better that we didn't need your help? That we managed to get through fine? Well, alright, I may be a little jerkish for saying that statement just before to you, but wouldn't you think that it was nice to get to watch a real robot fight, courtesy of all of us?"

"It's not the same... I really don't know if I could forgive you for that, Richard..." Sanae responded back, as she calmed down a little hearing that.

"I don't expect you. But I can tell you that I'm still sorry for neglecting your services, Sanae. You were supposed to be a member of our team, and we overlooked you in the entire messy sequence of events." Richard apologised firmly. "But look on the bright side, didn't you have a few fan-girling moments when you saw Sanger and Kyosuke kick real ass?"

"Yeah... I guess..." Sanae muttered, as she had a slight blush on her cheeks. "I guess I did, after seeing that Revolver Stake cause a whole lot of explosions in a spectacular display."

"See, it's not a wasted effort, Sanae." Richard smiled faintly. "You didn't have to do anything, and you got to watch some great battles. I mean, you couldn't help but be left at the edge of the seat, and in tears after watching Julia and Reisen fight for the final time, right?"

"...She died like a worthy commander..." Sanae agreed. "I never thought that her death would be so moving in reality..."

"Alright, now then, I'll let you take the plate for this one, Sanae." Richard stated. "Go and show them that you know all of this as much as I do."

"If you say so." Sanae stated, her mood much more lighter than before. "This is basically the world of Valkyria Chronicles. It's kind of like a mesh of science and fantasy, like our Gensokyo, although the magic part is quite miniscule, and its meshed with far more science than what we would even would attempt doing. So right now, it's the second World War in this world, as it's basically the two superpowers clashing against each other. Atlantic Federation vs. The East European Imperial Alliance, or known commonly as the Empire. It's just basically like the generic war setting that we all watch, people die, bases get taken by both sides over and over again, and great battles happen time to time depending on the situation. Then there's the mythical part of the world, which is set within the myth of the Valkyria. They're basically living proof of battle goddesses, as they can wreck everything they face with super powerful magic-powered weapons, such as using their lance to fire off beams that could tear even large tanks to pieces in but a few minutes of constant fire, and being unharmed by even the equivalent of a mini-nuke in their technology. So basically, both sides have a few, but one in particular stands out, as it's going to be the one we might be likely to face, since I have a good idea what we're going to doing there. So I won't spoil it until we face them. That's good enough, Richard?"

"Brilliant." Richard smiled back, before he then turned to Reisen. "By the way, Reisen, the kappas have finally managed to manufacture equipment to help hide and get rid of the more strange features of your physique. I mean, bunny ears and red eyes aren't exactly normal in most worlds. We also plan on using these for Antonio and the others, but we need you to use this for a test run. It's also going to be a biological implant, so that it can't be detected normally, and that you can reveal and hide your extraneous parts at your will."

"I see. When will I be implanted with it then?" Reisen asked back.

"What do you mean? It's already in you." Richard answered back, as Reisen showed some shock in her eyes hearing that. "The kappas took the moment to implant the device in you, while you were in deep sleep. They made it as painless as possible, so that you wouldn't be disturbed heavily by the procedure. I expect that you must have felt a pain in the neck when you woke up, right? Well, that's proof. How about you try 'willing' those ears of yours away. Don't worry, it's been tested before, so nothing should go wrong... I hope."

Reisen didn't say anything back, as she closed her eyes, and did what Richard asked, as she intently repeated the command in her head. While she did so, the group watched with amazement, as Reisen's rabbit ears retreated into her head, like they were being sucked through invisible holes. She then opened her eyes, before then feeling the top of her head, surprised to feel that she couldn't feel anything on her head, not even a bump or scar on it.

"Well, damn... I guess that's a start at least." Richard smirked. "Now then, you two..."

Richard then opened up a few sukimas, as they dropped out two bottles of hair-dye, one for brown hair, and another for red hair. "Use these for your hair, Reisen and Sanae. You take red, Reisen, and you take brown, Sanae. They should last for long enough until the war ends, and when we head back, and they should be resistant to anything that could try to remove the dye from the hair."

"Wait, why do I have to dye my hair!?" Sanae complained, as she placed her hands on her head, right on her green hair. "I don't want to get rid of my natural dye like this...!"

"Well, would you prefer the alternative that you want to be mistaken for a Valkyria in hiding?" Richard responded back. "Green hair is pretty much a colour that is very unnatural."

"But your black hair will make you look like a Darcsen!" Sanae shouted back. "Why aren't you dying your hair then as well?"

"Because it'll play a major factor in my character." Richard stated, as he pointed at himself. "After all, they won't suspect a Darcsen who is slightly eccentric and devoted to the war cause."

Sanae silently looked at Richard for a few moments, before she then sighed and took the hair dye. "I'm not going to stand up for you, if you get a few slugs to the face by several of our future allies." She stated firmly.

"Please, getting punched is Meiling's job. I'm far too strong to get hurt. But I can take a fall to act like it did a lot on me." Richard gloated, before he then stood up. "Either way, that's all you need to know for now. I'll make sure that the preparations are done when we get there. Anything else you all like to say?"

"Will I get something better than those rocket launchers they have? They seem to be quite nice, but I want something that can really wreak havoc!" Marisa exclaimed.

"We'll see." Richard stated, before he then left the meeting room. "See you in a few moments."

Everyone then left the meeting room, as they prepared for their next mission.

* * *

_Near the Gallian border town, Bruhl..._

In the valley, where fresh green grass is everywhere to be seen, and there were several padlocks and fences that were placed around the various windmills in the vicinity, as well as covering the ledges that led down to a long and winding river that went through into the horizon. Trees were everywhere as well, as their leaves swayed in the gentle wind quietly, as the warm sun gave them large cool shades under them.

A large military transport truck was running down the even and narrow road, as its wheels rolled through the flattened ground, as it let out a few grinding sounds from the wheels crushing stone and sand underneath it. It was driving slowly, as there were several people walking alongside it, all of them looking like civilians. They looked around at the scenery around them, while smiling at the prospect of reaching their destination.

While the truck went one way, another person came by the travelling group, as it was a young man with a tall physique, with brown-grey short hair that was combed to the side, in bundles of hair, and brown eyes. He wore a worn old leather jacket with pockets, a white buttoned shirt underneath it, faded blue jeans that were tied up with a leather belt, and brown cloaks with white markings on it. He looked at the group, before he then looked at the path ahead of him with a reminiscing expression.

"I haven't been down this road for years..." The young male muttered to himself, before he then walked down, before looking at the river, as he noticed the green-silver fishes that was swimming inside of it, as it surprised him "Whoa! Already?"

He then rushed down the side of the river, as he crouched down to get a closer look at them. "You're beautiful. Starting early this year." He stated, as he traced the path of the swimming fishes. "You're heading upstream, huh? How's the water?"

He then pulled a small book the size of his hand, and a pen, as he flipped the book open, before sketching things into the book's pages. While he did so, he suddenly heard footsteps coming his way, as he immediately turned around.

When he turned around, he saw a group of people, as in front was Richard himself, whose black hair was slightly dirty and matted, as he was dressed in standard civilian garbs, which was slightly dusty and dirty for some strange reason, as there was a large military backpack on his shoulders and back, with the thin barrel of a sub-machine gun jutting out of it. He gave off a harmless smile, which caused the brown-haired man to be a little nervous about Richard.

"Hey there. What are you doing by the river?" Richard asked casually, as he slowly walked towards him, with his hands by the side. "Sorry, if our appearance frightens you a little... We'll explain about it later. But please, we just saw you with your book, and wanted to see what you were doing."

"Really?" The young man replied, as he looked around, and saw Sanae, Gus, Reisen and Marisa all in the same type of outfit as Richard was, with varying amounts of dust and dirt clinging to their clothes. Sanae's hair was brown, although her hair was still in the same style as it was before, and Reisen's hair was slightly orange-red, and her eyes were changed to a more realistic maroon eye-colour. Marisa's long blonde hair was tied up into a large and wide pony-tail behind her head. Out of all of them, Gus and Reisen were the only ones that had guns on their back-packs, as Gus had a rifle in his, and Reisen had a sniper rifle in her own bag. "But how do you have Imperial weapons...? You look like that you have fought battles with them, and managed to raid their own supplies for these weapons."

"Aye..." Richard responded back, as his smile disappeared. "...We had no choice. Our village was torn in the conflict, and we were forced to flee. It was by luck that I could find my friends before the heavier forces came in. We spent countless days wandering the countryside, moving village from village, as they kept us well-fed and well-stocked. We faced several Imperial patrols on the way, but we managed to pull through thanks to our town guard training. So far, we only had enough ammunition for only three of us to be able to keep a weapon on ourselves."

"I see... I'm sorry for your loss." The young man responded back. "The Empire has been ruthless currently."

Richard silently gazed away with a slightly sullen expression, before he then turned around to face him. "Oh right, I never introduced myself." Richard stated, before he placed a hand on his chest. "My name is Rain Craider. I hail from the town that is quite far from here. But I doubt you would know it anyway. Anyway, we're just simply humble people fighting to survive the war between the Empire and the Federation."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Rain." The young traveller amicably responded back. "My name is Welkin Gunther. I used to live in this town of Bruhl, before I went to university to study animal sociology. I guess that we've been affected by this war together. I've come around here to help my younger sister evacuate from the town."

"I see... Mind if I just have a look at that book in your hands, Welkin?" Richard asked back kindly. "I do really want to see what is in it. You must be studying the fish just back then. And I'm quite happy that you are concerned about your own sister and family. I would have as well. Hopefully... They should be safe with the ones who got away that day..."

"Sure. Go ahead. Just please be gentle with it." Welkin agreed, as he closed the book, and handed it to Richard, who softly took it into his hands, as he then opened it with one hand, using the other to flip through the pages, as he was absorbed by its content. Gus then took the chance to walk over, as he put out a hand for Welkins to shake. "And you are..."

"Gus Teller." Gus introduced himself with a warm smile. "It has been so long since we have met someone who isn't so discriminate against the Darcsens like many others. Rain went through a lot of trouble to get us across everywhere, as my best friend and our most trustworthy pal."

"You must have great faith in your friend." Welkin chuckled with amusement. "I'm quite envious at how close you all seem to be with each other."

"Yeah, we've been spending such a long time, surviving together. I guess bonds naturally form when you're in such a situation." Sanae remarked. "By the way, I should introduce myself. Name's Sally Westgale. I'm planning on becoming a popular novelist when all of this is over. If I manage to survive all of this, then the world deserves to know the truth of what has happened here through my accounts."

Welkin smiled, as he seemed to like what's Sanae wish at the end of the war was, before he turned to Marisa and Reisen who were chatting amongst each other.

"Wow, he's really into animals, with how much he's writing in that little book that our friend has in our hands." Marisa muttered to Reisen.

"Don't question such things. That's how it is." Reisen stated. "He may seem to be quite polite and well-mannered, compared to the many others that we met on the way."

"What are you talking about? We never-" Marisa replied back, before he noticed that Welkin was listening in, as she was startled to find out about it. "Oh! What are you looking at!? We're talking about private matters here!"

"Sorry, I was just wondering about you both." Welkin apologised with a sheepish expression. "You seemed to be both talking about me, weren't you."

"It's not like we're talking bad stuff behind your back." Marisa muttered with irritation under her breath. "So you want to know about me? I'm Mari Shine. I'm the girl who's going to kick the Empire right back their stuck-up little capital! When I enlist, they better look out for me!"

"Don't mind her too much." Reisen told Welkin, to which Marisa let out a hurt 'Hey!'. "I am Remy Keppler. I'm mostly here to make sure that the others don't end up getting themselves killed."

"I see, i see." Welkin casually responded back.

Richard then closed up Welkin's book, as he seemed to be smiling. "My my, Welkin. You have quite the mind, to have made so many diagrams like this." He stated, before he then was about to hand the book back. "Here you go, we'll be on our way-"

Suddenly, there was the clicking sound of guns, as everyone snapped towards the direction of the provoking sound, as they saw that there were several town guards with rifles in their hands, as they had them trained at the group. They were led by a young woman with brown hair that were tied into twintails, a red headdress on her head, and brown eyes, a blue and white dress with a short skirt and a belt around her waist, as well as long blue socks with leather boots on her feet.

"Freeze!" She commanded, as everyone did so. "Put your hands in the air, all of you... And slowly."

"Well, nuts... I guess we got you in trouble, Welkin..." Richard spoke awkwardly, before he turned his head back at the town guards, as he immediately lifted his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright! Just don't shoot! We can talk this out!"

Everyone immediately put their hands up, as Reisen hesitated for a moment, before she saw Richard turn to her and mouth the words 'Do it', and followed the others in doing so.

"I have never seen you all around before. What are your names?" She asked them.

"We're not around from here. But Welkin beside my friend, Rain, seems to be from your town." Gus answered back. "Mind if I ask who you all are?"

"The one with the gun. We're with the Bruhl Town Watch." The female leader of the guard responded back, as she pointed the gun at Richard, then Gus, then Reisen. "I'm Alicia. Alicia Melchiott."

She then walked over to Richard, as she made sure the gun was pointed at Gus. "So, I'm wondering what you've been writing in that book you've got there." She stated with a accusing tone. "And the fact that you have people holding Imperial weapons, yet in civilian clothes. Imperial spies are in the area."

"Ah. This book is nothing, really." Welkin answered back, causing Alicia to turn to him with a doubting expression. "I was just sketching the fish in the river... And you know..."

"Hm.. Yes, oh I know." Alicia smirked back. "And you know there's a war on, don't you? I bet those people are with you."

"No, Miss Alicia." Richard responded back with a pleading tone. "We just met. I took interest of what was in his book. We were doing our best not be spotted with our weapons. We stole them from the Empire, in truth, as we managed to raid their supplies in order to survive in our journey. We were trying to find a safe place to settle down in, or at least somewhere we can enlist to join the army of this nation. We will peacefully surrender to you, if that's what you request of us. Just please don't do anything to us. We're already stressed as it is by the war happening all over the nation..."

Alicia scoffed, as she then gestured for the town guards to confiscate the weaponry from them, as they pulled out Richard's, Gus's and Reisen's weapons, as they held on them. She then took Welkin's book from Richard's hands as well.

"Alright then, Mr. Artist and fugitives. We'll talk about what you have to say down at the guard post." Alicia told them, as she pointed her rifle at them threatening to make her point. "Take them away."

The town guard then came over, as they grabbed the group of six by their arms, with some of them using rope to tie the hands of several members up for convenience. Richard, Welkin and Gus were the only ones who were grabbed by the arms, as they were dragged across.

"Thankfully... I hope that we can talk this out..." Richard stated with a worried tone, before turning to Welkin. "Are you alright, Welkin? I'm sorry that we got you caught."

"No, no, it's mostly my own fault for not noticing what I was even doing. I was too caught up in my own hobbies." Welkin assured Richard. "I'm at least grateful that we are treated kindly for peacefully allowing ourselves to be taken with them."

Alicia then slowly read through Welkin's book, before she then closed it.

"Flowers, bugs and fish. You're not bad with a pen, are you, Welkin?" Alicia remarked, before she then turned around, with a impressed look on her face. "I have to say, they're really very good."

"Yeah. I told him the same thing." Richard piped up, before the town guard jostled him to silence him.

"Thank you. So you see I was really just sketching." Welkin thanked Alicia.

"Maybe. Or this could be some kind of secret code." Alicia replied back, turning away with a snort. "And I intend to take my time finding out for sure."

Welkin sighed. "Great..." He sighed dejectedly.

"Welks, is that you?" A young gentle female voice was heard, as from the bridge, a girl that seemed to be younger than Welkin by a few years appeared, as she had parted black short hair, dark blue eyes, a teal dress with a beige traditional short cloak made of cotton and wool that covered her shoulders and neck, as well as black casual boots with short blue socks. She had a concerned expression on her face.

Welkin turned up to see the girl, with a relieved expression. "Isara, your timing is perfect!" Welkin spoke with relief.

Richard looked at Isara as well, as he showed a shocked expression. "Another Darcsen... Of all the people to encounter...!" Richard muttered with surprise.

"What have you gotten yourself into now, Welkin?" Isara sighed, as she ran over to Alicia.

Alicia then examined Isara for a while, before she realised something. "Wait... Don't you live at the old general's house?" Alicia asked curiously.

"That's right. I'm General Gunther's daughter, Isara." Isara responded back with a nod.

"You do know everyone's supposed to evacuate, right?" Alicia told Isara.

"Yes, I'm aware of that. My brother's here to help me move to the capital." Isara answered, before she turned to Welkin and the town guard holding him. "But that may be difficult... I mean, unless you're willing to let him go, that is."

Alicia then looked back at Welkin, who was smiling warmly, before she then silently grumbled, as she gestured for the guards to let him go. "I apologise. But I was just doing my job, you know." Alicia told him, as the returning student was rubbing the sore spots of his arm, where the town guards firmly grabbed him at. "I saw you with the notebook, and thought that you were a spy. Again, I'm really sorry for that."

"Thanks, don't worry about it. I can see how I might have looked a little suspicious." Welkin responded back, as he took his hand-sized notebook back.

"Welks has a real passion for observing nature. That's why he's studying it at the university, right?" Isara asked her brother.

"Guilty as charged. I get so into it I forget where I am or that somebody might be watching me." Welkin admitted with a slightly embarrassed tone.

Alicia chuckled slightly, as Richard smiled.

"Well, I'm glad that one of our misunderstandings is cleared up." Richard stated with a content tone. "Now then, Ms Alicia, could we talk about what is going on here as well, please?"

"No. You're coming back to our station for questioning." Alicia firmly denied. "Wielding weapons, especially ones from the Empire, is quite a suspicious thing to do in our country, is it not?"

"Hey, we had to pretty much struggle for survival here!" Marisa complained.

"Mari, be quiet! It doesn't matter if we have no proof of it, other than our soiled clothing!" Richard scolded Marisa, before he then turned back to Alicia. "Alright, if you need time for us to prove it, then we'll do so."

"A Darcsen... Are you one of them as well?" Isara asked with a curious tone.

"Right you are, miss." Richard nodded with a calm expression. "I never thought that I would met anohter Darcsen, especially someone as young and beautiful as you. I was the only Darcsen in my village, until it was attacked by the Empire..."

"That's... horrible..." Isara gasped with horror.

"I know, that's why I want to help bring an end to this war as soon as I can... For the people who died from the invasion into the innocent lands-" Richard declared, before a gunshot rang through the air, catching everyone's attention.

"Gunfire! Everyone, keep your heads down!" Alicia ordered, as Welkin pulled Isara down to the ground, while Alicia kept her head down, and the town guard took positions to defend them, as they dropped the group's weapon on the ground.

As soon as Richard fell to the ground, he then kept his eye on the gun, before then turning to Gus. "Gus, throw out the ammo!" Richard called out, as he made a sprint for his gun.

"Roger that!" Gus shouted, as he pulled a ammo clip from his backpack, and threw it where Richard was going to be. Richard slid towards the gun, picking up in the middle of it, and catching the ammo clip perfectly in his hand.

"What-!?" Alicia cried, as Welkin and Isara were shocked by what Richard was doing.

"No time to explain!" Richard cried, as he pointed a finger at the hill, where there were Imperial soldiers moving over it, towards the unarmed civilians and the truck transporting their belongings. "They're going to shoot the civilians on sight!"

He then slammed the ammo clip into the gun, as he dashed towards where the truck was, as the town guards aimed their weapons at Richard.

"Wait, don't shoot! I think his target isn't any of the civilians or the truck!" Alicia shouted out, as the town guards reluctantly followed her orders, as they aimed for the Imperial troops.

"GET DOWN!" Richard shouted at the top of his voice to the civilians, as he then stopped within reasonable range, before hip-firing his weapon at the advancing Imperial soldiers.

The frightened civilians immediately did so, as the Imperial soldiers' shots flew over their head, as they trembled on the ground. The Imperial soldiers, who were not expecting to be attacked, were brought down by Richard's returning gunfire, as the third one dropped a lit grenade, blowing him to pieces when it made contact with the ground a short moment later.

Richard then immediately reloaded his weapon, as he dropped the empty clip, before turning to the civilians. "Get up, and into the truck! You're no longer safe here! Run as fast as you can out of this place!" He cried out.

The civilians nodded fearfully, as they got into the truck, as it accelerated across the road. Richard then sighed in relief, as he wiped some sweat off his brow.

"I don't see any more of them..." Alicia noted, before she then heard the gunshots continuing from afar, as she closed her eyes.

"So, what he said about having to fight to survive... wasn't a lie after all..." Welkin commented, as he slowly pulled Isara up with him.

"That's right... We have fought for so long in real battles, that we're actual soldiers in civilian garbs..." Gus answered back.

She walked towards the bodies of the dead Imperial soldiers, as she looked at them with a emotionless look in her eyes.

"Miss Melchiott! There's no other sign of the enemy!" A town guard reported.

"Good." Alicia intoned back. "Now, go keep watch and stay alert."

"Yes ma'am! Uh, what should we do with the bodies, ma'am?" The guard asked.

"We'll bury them." Alicia stated, as the town guard immediately left the area. She then turned to Richard, whose weapon is out. "So... You were truly fighting against the Empire. What happened to your town?"

"...It was destroyed by a Imperial force. The civilians that were caught by them, were executed as a public warning for those who would dare to rebel against the Empire..." Richard stated back with grit teeth and a slightly enraged tone. "I won't forgive them for destroying the town, and murdering its residents, just to root out a Darcsen like me..."

"...Rain..." Sanae stated.

"So it's begun after all then." Alicia said, before she looked over the hillside. "I'll do whatever it takes to protect the people of this town. I'll do it. Even going to war, I'll do it without any regrets."

She then picked up a small flower in her hands, before she then opened it, as the white seeds of the flowers scattered to the winds, into the skies.

"What are those?" Isara asked, looking at the flying flower seeds.

"Seeds from the lion's paw." Welkin answered back for his sister. "It blooms white. Small, simple and strong."

"Much like us in a sense..." Reisen answered back. "We only survived because we knew how to fight our wars, and to pick our battles carefully."

"I want to be able to remember, once this war is over..." Alicia stated, as she clenched her hand into a tight fist. "That it wasn't all just people killing people. That even in war, there was also new life."

Everyone looked at Alicia for a few moments, as they silently respected her words, before she then turned around.

"Come, let's take you all back to the town." Alicia stated, as she then gestured for the others to follow.

Everyone followed after her, as they started their long and thankfully uneventful trek towards the town of Bruhl.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Defence of Bruhl

A/N: I'm quite impressed to have received reviews this quickly, so I'll say my piece about one of them. Thanks for it, Fir100, and GJO1088

About your review, GJO1088:

-Yes, Sanae is aware of the history and events of the Valkyria Chronicles, all about the mainline game events, and some canon works. She will most definitely exploit her knowledge of the fandom as best as she could. Expect her to tell the team about what might happen, but remember, she will have to be careful that she doesn't end up making herself look like a spy, while telling them about it. In fact, Richard, or Rain as he uses as his name here, knows just as much.

-Unfortunately for you, I'm sorry to tell you that Richard and the others aren't going to be revolutionising Gallia for the war. Richard and the others aren't exactly the kind of people who would be able to create ideas that would actually work, even if they have a gist of it. That's more of what the UGF engineers and researchers' jobs, especially the kappa genius Nitori Kawashiro, and they are still in space. What's more, Richard wouldn't dare to make Gallia too powerful, lest the Federation get their eyes on them, and decide to try and take Gallia for themselves. The saving grace, however, is that Richard will have Nitori discreetly hand him military blueprints that are a significant upgrade for the Gallian units, under the guise they are prototype Imperial blueprints that Richard managed to steal through raiding enemy bases and supplies. I imagine that Richard and the others will get amazing weapons quite early, and that Squad 7 will get the benefits as well.

-About your third point, I kind of have both problems and understanding with these. Richard will try and point out the fact that exposing the radiators would make a tank vulnerable. But because this is solid canon, Leon and Kreis will counter with the fact that with their current engine technology, placing the radiator in a enclosed space would be suicidal, due to the fact that doing so will cause pressure to build up, resulting in a tank-blowing explosion. However, Richard will tell them the fact that they should find a way to make it so that the Edelweiss's radiator cannot be hit by standard means, such as that it is placed so that only a shot from above can hit it, or that the attacker would have to aim really low to bypass the plating that overhangs it. In both cases, do note that there are such things as anti-tank snipers in VC1, so they aren't entirely protected from heavy-fire at the radiator, even if they followed the suggestions that Richard and the others would make.

-That may be true. But still, Valkyrias in the settings are pretty much nigh-invulnerable and all-destroying. I mean, gameplay-wise, the overwatch shots alone of Selvaria would tear a lot of holes in tanks, and outright murder anyone she points her beam lance at. And Selvaria has been a Valkyria for at least an decade, so she's not going to easy to beat, even with all Squad 7 has. But... Do note that Richard and his team are more powerful than he lets on, and he knows a way to fight Selvaria on even terms, and still keep his identity unquestioned, although with some confusion and doubt. What is the method? You'll have to find out soon enough.

-I'll take a gander at your suggested manga, but there won't be anything I will be adding, if it's not entirely related to canon.

* * *

_In the town of Bruhl..._

The group leisurely strolled through the streets of the developed town, as they looked around, for anyone who might have missed the orders for evacuation, and the large windmill that stood in the centre of the town. They passed be a few people, who were leaving immediately from the town.

"Seeing that old mill spinning again... really makes it feel like home, sweet home." Welkin remarked, as his gaze was locked onto the spinning parts of the windmill.

"Ha ha. I hear that." Alicia responded back with a joyful tone. "It really is one of the most beautiful things about this town."

"Yeah, I can testify to that. It's quite well-developed." Marisa responded back, as she had her hand over her eyes to shield the sun from getting into them. "I'd say that it's a famous landmark of this place on its own."

Alicia merely huffed, placing her hands on her hips, before turning to the others. "Well citizens, our enemy can't be far behind." Alicia stated, as she saluted at them respectfully like a devoted guard. "I thank you for your help. Goodbye and take care."

"Thank you too, for trusting in us before." Richard responded back, as he returned a salute of his own. "It's rare that I meet someone who knows the right people to trust in this world."

Alicia then left, as she waved at them, before separating from the group. Isara then turned to Richard's group, as she had hands clasped together in front of her.

"I'm sorry to ask of this all the sudden, but could you help us pack up for the evacuation, if you could?" Isara requested. "We would be very happy to get things done quicker."

"How could I refuse the genuine request of another of my kin?" Richard answered back, as he smiled back and nodded. "We don't have anything to do here, so we're happy to help everyone while we can. Take us to your home, and we'll get started right now."

* * *

_At Welkin's and Isara's home..._

The group immediately arrived at the house, as the group stopped at the doorstep.

"How's the packing coming along, Is?" Welkin asked Isara.

"Almost done. I only need to take the everyday basics." Isara answered back.

"Well, the Empire's got to be close by. Let's hit the road by sundown." Welkin stated.

"Don't worry." Sanae assured them both. "If the Empire really arrive while we leave, we can help to drive them away with our weapons. The three of us should be enough to help you clear out any Imperial infantry in our path."

Isara then called out towards the house. "Martha, look. Welks is here."

When the door opened from the inside, it showed a woman dressed in a yellow and brown dress, with a large white maid apron on her upper body. She also was slightly plump around her waist, and she had short hazelnut-coloured hair, brown eyes, and blue earrings.

"Ohh, welcome back, Welkies! And I see that you have brought back a few friends." Martha stated, as she bowed courteously.

Richard and Welkin were both flustered by Martha's words, as Marisa couldn't help but giggle at Welkin's nickname of 'Welkies'.

"You're still calling me that? Martha, I'm 22 years old now!" Welkin whined back, rubbing the back of his head as a gesture of embarrassment. "And more important, you shouldn't be running around! Aren't you due any day now?"

"M-Miss Martha. Let's not get hasty. We were just people who encountered each other on the roads." Richard hastily responded back. "We just met him, and he seemed to be quite the interesting person. We wanted to find someone to go with, so we stuck along with Welkin and Isara for it."

"Aww, a light jog won't hurt the little spud. I should know, I've already got four of them on the way!" Martha stated with a warm tone, patting her plump pregnant belly slightly, before she then looked at Richard. "And I'm quite surprised to see another Darcsen in these parts. Especially one as handsome as you are, hehe."

"Four of them!?" Gus exclaimed in shock. "Wow, ma'am, you sure are quite strong, and lucky to have quadruplets on the way!"

Suddenly, Alicia appeared behind them, holding a large paper bag with sticks of fresh bread in it. "Hello there... Mind I give you something, Welkin?" She asked, walking towards Welkin.

"Oh, hello Alicia? What brings you here?" Welkin asked.

"I just wanted to apologise... for before." She answered back, before handing the bag of bread to him. "Um, here! This is for you."

"Really? These are for me?" Welkin said, curious about why Alicia handed him something in apology.

"I work at the bakery. Well, I did until the war started anyway. It's where I live, too." Alicia responded back. "That's preserved bread, so it's really hard. Heat it up before you eat it, all right? And don't forget to share some with your new friends. I baked it myself, so the flavor's guaranteed! Best you ever had~!"

"Thanks. Uh, do you want to come in?" Welkin offered, as he moved to the door, and opened it for her.

"Yes, of course I would." Alicia answered back, as she entered the house with Welkin, as the others followed them in. Welkin, Isara, Martha and Alicia took seats on the dining table, while Richard and the others stood near them, as they conversed about the events that occurred up to this point.

"Arrested AND shot at? Hah. You've had a busy day of it, haven't you Welkies?" Martha inquired with curiosity, before turning to Alicia with a mirthful expression. "And what a lovely lady you are for all the adventuring. Good job, Welkies!"

"What?" Welkin asked back, before he blushed when he realised what Martha was implying, as he frantically waved his hands. "Wait, no! It's not like that! Alicia just saved my skin, that's all. Rain also did that, as he literally charged the Imperial soldiers and shot them without hesitation."

"And a brave one! I knew that Darcsen were quite skilled in reality!" Martha exclaimed.

"He's right, we just met. I'm not his girlfriend, just his hero." Alicia responded back calmly. "Although I'm really hoping to be his friend."

"Oh well, I'm sure that you all will. Be good to my Welkies here, won't you?" Martha asked, with a caring tone.

"We can promise that we'll treat like one of our own." Gus assured Martha. "He's in a good crowd among us."

"Okay, seriously Martha." Welkin stated with a flustered tone. "Enough with the Welkies already."

Alicia then looked up, as she saw a greyscale picture of two men posing before a large tank, on the battlefield, with black signatures on one corner of the photo. "That's a lovely portrait. Is that General Gunther?" She asked no-one in particular.

"Yup. It was taken before I was born, but's that Dad alright." Welkin nodded.

"You have a army general as your father? That's amazing!" Sanae chimed in with a astonished tone.

"That's Dad... you're a lucky guy to have him as your father." Alicia remarked. "And who's that with him there?"

"My father, Theimer. He was an engineer. The General's tank was his creation." Isara answered the question.

"Wait a minute. But I thought the general was your dad?" Alicia asked, confused about what Isara was saying.

"My birth parents died when I was a baby..." Isara solemnly explained, before she smiled back. "The general was kind enough to take me in as my own after that."

"I guess he's the kind of guy who would help others out of the goodness of his heart." Marisa quipped, as she smiled. "I'm sure that people like him would be well-received by many."

"Yeah. We're not related by blood as siblings, but she's definitely my little sister." Welkin added.

"Sorry, was that question too personal?" Alicia asked with concern.

"No. I don't mind at all. I was blessed with two wonderful fathers." Isara told Alicia back with a grateful tone.

"Yeah... I guess you were, huh...?" Alicia replied back with a slightly longing tone, before she then remembered something she almost forgot, as she looked at the house's clock. "Oh, is that really the time? I've got to get going."

"Why don't you see her off, Welks? I can take care of the rest of the packing on my own." Isara told Welkin.

"All right. I will. I'll be right back." Welkin responded back, as he then got up to leave.

"Wait, Welkin. Allow me to come with you." Richard quickly called out, as Welkin looked at him briefly. "Let me come with you two. I want to get to know you both a little more, even if it may be the only time we will meet. I can hope that I could find a true friend in all of you. The rest of you, stay here and help Isara. She shouldn't have to do the rest of the work alone, should she?"

"Aye aye, we'll get it done in a few moments." Marisa stated back with a casual manner.

"Alright, then you can come with us." Welkin agreed.

"Thank you, Rain. The help is appreciated." Isara thanked Richard.

"See you later, Isara. Safe travels!" Alicia said, as Richard and Welkin followed her out of the residence.

* * *

_In the streets of Bruhl..._

The trio made their way down the streets, as they noticed that the transport trucks were already leaving the town quickly.

"Wow, look at this. Bruhl's really becoming a ghost town at this rate." Welkin stated, seeing the truck come and go past them all.

"They've been leaving for a while." Alicia stated. "Just about everyone is evacuated now."

"I can't blame them. Tensions are rising with the Empire, and their invasions." Welkin stated, as Richard grimaced, which he noticed. "Oh, sorry about that, Rain... About your town..."

"It's no problem... I won't let my past drag me down." Richard told them with a confident tone. "I can only hope that this war will end with the least amount of destruction and death possible, even if it's in vain."

"We'll survive though. The town watch will protect and guard the homefront. Everyone will come back someday." Alicia stated. "They'll all come back when it's safe again, right?"

"Mm-hmm." Welkin grunted, as he nodded back.

"So Welkin, I'm curious, are you going to join the army like your father?" Alicia asked. "What about you, Rain?"

"Hmm, I don't think that's for me." Welkin shook his head, before he then noticed that the birds were taking flight above them. "What I'd really like to do is be a teacher."

"Huh? A teacher?" Alicia asked surprised.

"Animals and insects, flowers and plants. They've always been my passion. I've learned a lot from nature itself." Welkin commented. "See, my dad, he protected this country as a general. But it's just that I... I want to give back, in my own way. My own way, you know what I mean?"

"No wonder that book of yours is filled with so much information on the various fauna and flora in the nation." Richard recalled the time he read through the book, seeing various detailed diagrams of animals and plants in it. "I'm not too surprised that you would want to be a teacher or professor, to spread this kind of information to everyone in the nation."

"That's deep, in your own way..." Alicia replied as well, placing her hand on her chin in deep thought, before she was then blocked off by Richard's arm, as Welkin was too. "Waah!"

"I hear something..." Richard muttered, as he seemed to be quite alert, before there was a explosion that assaulted their ears, and shook the ground.

"What was that?" Alicia questioned.

Welkin listened closely, as he could hear the whistling sound of a tank shell flying through the air. "That sound..." Welkin muttered, before he then looked up, as they all saw a fiery tank round fly towards the windmill.

"Look out!" Richard cried, as he pointed at the approaching projectile, as it connected with the large structure, before exploding, as it blew a large hole in the structure, raining dust and debris onto the frightened onlookers, as they ran away from the windmill, as it began to fall apart before the eyes of all three of them.

"I don't believe it... The mill..." Welkin muttered in horror.

Richard then pulled out his weapon, as he immediately slammed a clip in, just as gunshots could be heard.

"There's already Imperial troops in this town! We need to get armed immediately!" Richard exclaimed, just as soon as a town watchman rushed over to Alicia, panting.

"Miss Melchiott, the Imperials are attacking. There's a squad of them in town right now!" The guard quickly relayed to Alicia.

"Get all the town watch together, now! We've got to fend them off!" Alicia ordered, as she loaded rounds into her rifle.

"They must be at Mill Plaza. I'll help." Welkin stated, as Richard turned to Welkin.

"Welkin, do you even know how to use a gun!? You don't want to get into the firefight that is about to happen!" Richard exclaimed in pure shock.

"I can. I mean, I made it through training with weapons anyways, in these situations. I can use one of those scout rifles well." Welkin responded back.

"I see. Alright, but keep your head down. I've fought the Imperials before a lot of times, so I should know how to deal with them." Richard stated, as he turned to Alicia. "Alicia, is there an town armoury nearby, to arm Welkin with?"

"Yes, it's just a block away." Alicia stated. "I'll get him there."

"Good, and bring some extra rifles and ammunition. Mari and Sally need something to arm themselves with." Richard stated. "I'll help your town guard fight off the Imperial vanguard."

"Thank you, Rain. Now, move out. Stay low!" Alicia shouted to Richard, as she and Welkin headed for their target destination.

Richard then cocked his weapon, priming it. "Alright, I can do this... I have back-up and a weapon that should make mincemeat out of them. I just need to thin the numbers and hold out..." Richard muttered, before he then sprinted towards the source of the gunfire sounds, where the battle was already starting.

He then ran towards one of the makeshift barricades made of sandbags, as he slid into cover, before any of the Imperial soldiers could even notice his arrival. Two of the town guards were already returning fire, as they fired off shot after shot at the enemy, before they ducked behind cover to reload, and noticed Richard.

"What are you doing here? This isn't the place where civilians like you should be!" The town guard shouted. "Give us that gun, and get out of here! We'll cover your escape ourselves!"

"No can do!" Richard yelled back with a firm tone. "Your captain, Alicia, sent me here. I'll help get rid of the enemies in front of you. Just draw their fire, and give me some covering fire. I have one of their sub-machine guns, that should tear through their armour like paper!"

"If you say so. Just keep your head down." The town guard stated, as he reloaded his weapon, before firing back. "Now's your chance, go while we have their eyes on us!"

"Already on it!" Richard shouted, as he vaulted over the sandbag stack, while the townsguard fired off shots that forced the Imperial soldiers into cover. When they got back up, they fired off several shots that hit the padded suits of the town guard, hurting them slightly and causing them to flinch in pain.

Richard immediately pressed himself on the side-wall, as he hid himself under the low-cover, watching the Imperial soldier shoot a few times, before hiding behind cover, and then repeating after he reloaded his weapon.

"You looked at the wrong place!" Richard shouted, catching the Imperial soldier's attention, as he fired off a burst of bullets that hit the soldier's torso and head, as the bullets pierced through the armour, and downed the soldier in but a few shots. He then took the moment to reload, before he then rolled into the cover that the soldier was using before, avoiding the shots coming in his direction.

Welkin and Alicia then arrived, as Welkin had one of the standard-issue rifles in his hands, like the other town guards, as they made their way to the sandbags, as Alicia motioned for the town guards to move up, as they did so, while evading the rifle shots coming their way.

"Our targets is the Imperials in Mill Plaza. Focus on taking down their captain." Alicia stated the objective. "Breaking the chain of command of the Imperials, should buy some more time for the townspeople to get away."

"All right, I got that. Let's all be careful out there." Welkin responded back, before he turned to Richard, who was taking cover. "You got it, Rain?"

"Take down the soldier in red, who is the captain of the invading squad!?" Richard yelled back. "Yeah, I'm clear! Alicia, tell your men to give me some more covering fire! I can't get a good shot when I'm too far from them! You help me too, Welkin!"

Alicia and Welkin immediately complied, as they fired at the two Imperial soldiers that were hitting Richard's cover, as the town guards did the same, ensuring that the soldiers were suppressed. Richard then took the moment to move from his cover, to a much more closer one, as he then flipped over the cover, and shot one of the Imperial soldier point-blank. The other soldier got up slightly to get a clear shot of Richard, but before he could fire, his head was shot multiple times by Welkin.

"Good shot, Welkin!" Richard cried back. "You've got good arms to hold your rifle steady like that!"

"Thanks!" Welkin shouted back, as he and the others moved to the next set of covered positions, as the plaza was in sight, as there were several soldiers who were already in battle with a group of town guards, who were hiding behind the rubble of the destroyed mill for protection. "Target in sight!"

Alicia noted the soldier in red, who was barking orders to his non-coloured squadmates. "We'll have to take them out in one blast. Are you ready?" Alicia asked.

"Ready when you are!" Richard shouted back, as he slammed a fresh new clip into his weapon.

"Alright... CHARGE!" Alicia ordered, as the town guards under Alicia's command immediately shot at the Imperials, taking out two of them, as the rest turned to face the group, as they fired off several shots that managed to clip them in the chest. However, Richard ran through the fire, as he slid low to avoid getting shot in the head, before he then blind-fired from behind his cover, as the powerful shots managed to take out the rest of the soldiers, leaving only the commander standing.

Welkin immediately corrected the face, as he fired off several shots to the head, that brought down the Imperial commander.

"They're down!" Richard called out. "Come on, we need to get in position, before the next wave comes in-"

He was then interrupted by the sound of an powerful engine rumbling, as several Imperial soldiers came in, as one of them gestured for something to come in, as it was revealed to be a light tank in Imperial colours. It rolled over the mill rubble, entering the plaza, before it then aimed its main cannon at one of the places where the town guard were hiding, before it fired off a powerful shot that blasted the rubble and the people behind it, as the victims screamed while they were torn apart by the tank shot.

"T-Taaannnk!" A town guard cried, as the rest of the covered town guards fled, before the tank's secondary turret revved up and gunned down the speaker.

"No way! Ruuun- Arrggh!" Another one shouted in fear, before the machine-gun rounds tore him apart.

The Imperial soldiers used the tank to advance further, as they took their places in the alley that the group came from.

"Welkin, tank!" Alicia cried out.

"That's not good. We're not equipped to take out a tank..." Welkin stated with a grim tone, as he didn't like the development of things currently.

"I hate to say it, but we should probably pull out for now." Alicia answered back. "Get off this road and into the alley to the east. It's too narrow for a tank to follow. And try to stay behind cover while moving! One blast from the turret, and it's over!"

"Tch, what about you, Alicia?" Richard asked.

"I'll get the town-watch to regroup at the main gate. We need to ensure that we suffer as little causalities as possible." Alicia answered back.

"Got it. Welkin and I will find a way to get to the place. But it's been blocked by Imperial soldiers, and the tank has its sights trained on us next..."

"Rain!" Gus cried, as he arrived, holding his rlfle, as the other members of Richard's group arrived. "Thank the gods we managed to get here on time."

"Gus! Good time to get here! We've got trouble here!" Richard shouted in relief. "We need to escape, but the Imperial troops are blocking our path out! We need some help clearing them, before the tank manages to get a bead on all of us!"

"Here! You'll need these weapons!" Alicia cried, as she threw the rifles at Marisa and Sanae, who caught them. She then threw small pouches of rifle rounds at them, which they caught as well.

"Aw man... A rifle...?" Marisa moaned in complaint. "Guess I can't complain. A weapon is still a weapon I can use. Better than nothing I guess."

"Remy, can you snipe them all out from here?" Richard asked Reisen, who immediately leapt and climbed onto one of the trucks, as she laid prone on it.

"It will be done." Reisen stated, as she immediately shot the Imperial scouts in the way one by one, as they tried to return fire, but their target was too faraway to get a accurate shot to hit her. "Piece of cake."

The Imperial tank seemed to have noticed the threat that Reisen was posing, as it aimed its main cannon at her, and the truck she was using as a makeshift platform to snipe from.

"Remy, look out!" Richard shouted, as Reisen immediately hopped off the truck, and sprinted for cover, just as soon as the tank shot the truck she was on to pieces. "Now, Welkin! It's our time to get across! Run across the cover! Remy, Gus, Sally, and you Mari! You help Alicia defend the town with the others!"

The duo immediately sprinted across, as they hide behind cover after cover, while the turrets fired at them, as several of the rapid shots were dangerously close to hitting them. However, they managed to shake off the tank, as they rushed through the alley, which allowed them to escape the tank.

"Whew. It looks like Alicia was right... We managed to shake them." Welkin panted.

"Where do we go next...?" Richard asked, before he then realised something. "Wait, if the Imperials are already in town... Then that would mean...!?"

"We need to get Martha and Isara out of here immediately!" Welkin cried, as they both ran for the home, where Isara and Martha were.

* * *

_At the hillside home of Welkin and Isara..._

Richard and Welkin sprinted across the path, as Welkin seemed to have a expression worry on his face.

"Isara... Martha... Please be okay...!" Welkin hoped.

When they reached the house, they heard the sound of the front door being kicked open, as Welkin stopped, before he looked for an alternate path into the house, before he looked at the fence, and then at one of the open windows into one of the rooms.

"Come wth me, Rain!" Welkin shouted for Richard to follow, as they vaulted over the fence, as they then hopped through the window, as Richard readied his gun at the ready.

"She pregnant, or just fat?" They both could hear the voice of a Imperial soldier, which was accompanied by footsteps. They could also hear Martha's strained breathing nearby. The group then slowly opened the door, as they saw two Imperial soldiers in the dining room.

"Who cares? Not gonna make any difference when she's dead." The other soldier stated with a eerily casual tone.

"Bastard...!" Richard cursed under his breath, as he slowly peeked over the corner, as he saw Isara near the pained Martha on the ground, as she stood up.

"Stop this now!" Isara shouted, as she glared at the soldiers with intent.

The first soldier then kept his eyes on the covering scarf on her, before she turned to his partner. "See what's she wearing? Take a good look at the shawl. She's a Darcsen." The soldier snorted.

"Then that explains it. I thought this place stunk. Now I know it does." The other soldier chuckled darkly. "So, we got ourselves a fat one, and a stinky one. Pee-eew, it's a regular pig farm here."

Isara then looked at her side, as Welkin noticed that there was a loose fence-post just outside. He then moved out of the window, as he hefted the pole out of the earth, while Isara shifted her weight to the side, as she rolled quickly, picking up the rifle hidden behind the crate, as she cocked the weapon.

"I will thank you to watch your tongue in this house." Isara warned the soldiers, as they took a step forward, as she steeled herself and her aim. "You have to leave, now."

"That's a big gun for such a little girl." The first soldier mocked. "Drop it."

Isara kept the gun in her hands, as Welkin managed to hop through the window, as Richard turned to him.

"On 3... We'll take them both down. That okay with you...? We don't have the time to keep hiding...!" Richard harshly whispered to Welkin. "Make sure you don't miss."

"I won't." Welkin assured Richard.

"Good. 1... 2..." Richard stated, as he slowly got up, as he flipped the gun around, so that he was using the stock of the weapon in his hands.

The Imperial soldier then took another step, as Richard then prepared himself. "...3!"

"Isara!" Welkin cried, as Richard slammed the door open with a strong kick, as both of them rushed at the Imperial soldiers.

"Huh? Hold it right there!" The other imperial soldier threatened, as he turned around to face both of them.

However, before he could have a chance to fully turn, Welkin immediately beaned him in the front of his head with the heavy wooden fence-post, as he was knocked aside. His partner then turned around, as he cocked his weapon towards Welkin, as his finger was on the trigger.

"Die-" The Imperial soldier was about to shout, as Welkin's eye moved towards the other solider. He was then interrupted when he saw Richard rushing at him with a furious expression, and his weapon raised up over his head.

"Eat stock, Imperial bastard!" Richard roared, as he swung the rifle's stock right into the soldier's face with enough force to break his nose, as he cried out in agony, while falling backwards onto the ground, clutching the ground.

Richard didn't spare any time, as he immediately mounted the Imperial soldier, as he smashed the back end of the weapon into the Imperial soldier's face over and over again, giving the victim no chance to even react.

"Stay down! Stay! DOWN!" Richard accented each word with each blow. "STAY DOWN!"

"Rain! That's enough!" Welkin shouted, as Richard didn't hear him. "He's down!"

This time, Richard managed to hear him, as he dropped his make-shift bludgeon, as the end of the weapon was bloody from the soldier's blood. The soldier was groaning in agony and barely conscious.

"Damn... Damn it all..." Richard stated nervously, as he slowly picked up the weapon, as he looked at the sorry state of his target, before then turning to Welkin. "I'm sorry, Welkin... I couldn't risk it... I didn't want to take chances..."

"It's alright, Rain..." Welkin comforted the tense Richard, before turning to Isara, who lowered her rifle with a relieved expression. "Isara! Are you okay?"

"I'm OK thanks to you and Rain. But Martha, I think she's..." Isara answered back, as she moved back to reveal that Martha was writhing in agony, as she was breathing heavily.

"Martha!" Welkin cried, as he walked over to check Martha for any injuries, only to find none, which confused him.

"It's labour... Her children are coming at this very moment..." Richard noted, as Martha was clutching her abdomen.

"Moving her would be dangerous at the moment..." Isara added.

"Right... well... we can't just leave her here! What are we going to do?" Welkin asked back desperately. "There are a lot of Imperials out there, Is. It's only a matter of time before they take over the Mill Plaza and the town with it..."

"I'll help fight. You just focus on taking care of the soon-to-be mother. Her safety is our top priority now!" Richard exclaimed, as he checked his weapon, if he may have banged it into a jam when he used it to assault the soldier with it.

"Welks, Rain... Listen, the barn out back..." Isara said.

"What about it?" Welkin asked back.

"Our fathers have left us something. Something that might get us out of this mess." Isara explained.

"Really? Take us there, Isara, please!" Richard answered back hastily. "We need anything we can get to help now!"

Isara nodded, as she then motioned for Welkin and Richard to follow her, as they moved to the barn by the house's side. Richard and Welkin heaved the wooden doors open together, as inside of the barn was a medium-sized blue tank, painted with blue and red emblems, and there was also several leather bags for supplies strapped on top of the tread covers, as well as on the sides.

"Dad's tank! Whoa... I can't believe it's still here..." Welkin exclaimed with astonishment, looking at the tank lying in wait before them.

"And it's one-of-the-kind. Here it is, the Edelweiss. Theimer built it especially for General Gunther." Isara added.

"Yeah, and it worked great too." Welkin remarked. "So, it's just been parked here in the barn?"

"I wanted to make sure that it would still operate, you know, in case of emergencies." Isara responded back. "I enrolled in a maintenance class given by the military. I wanted to be able to do what my father could do."

"That's brilliant! We can use the Edelweiss to combat the Imperial tanks!" Richard exclaimed with joy. "With this thing, we'll be able to drive the Imperials out of the town long enough for the rest of the civilians to make a safe retreat!"

"It really didn't need much, hardly any alterations at all." Isara stated. "I just fitted it with a new turbine engine. It really improves on the power-weight ratio. The Edelweiss is fieldworthy. Its firepower and mobility are more than a match for recent models."

"Well, assuming it works, what's next?" Welkin asked.

"Alright. Welks, you took the armoured vehicle course, didn't you?" Isara questioned Welkin in response. "We'll bring Martha here. She's be safe inside the tank, and we can move to a better location."

"Of course... The tanks should be able to protect her, and prevent any harm from getting to her. As long as we drive it slowly, we should be able to avoid inflicting further pain onto her." Richard commented, before he then ran towards the house. "Welkin and Isara, get the Edelweiss ready, I'll get Martha in the house."

"Alright, got it." Welkin said, as Richard then dashed into the house, as he then picked up Martha gently, before holding her in a bridal carry, to minimise stress on her body.

"Oh my, I'm being carried by a handsome man..." Martha chuckled, as she groaned a little as she was still in pain. "...Your hands are very soft, Rain. I'm surprised that you're a fighting person."

"Just hang in there a little longer, Miss Martha." Richard responded back in a concerned tone. "We'll get you out of here safe and sound."

He then left the house, and entered the barn, as Welkin was about to enter the tank.

"Hey, Isara, is there a gunner's porch on the tank's body?" Richard asked.

"Yes, there is one, right in front of the tank cannon." She stated, as she clambered out of the hatch, and pointed at the gunner hatch just below the tank's cannon, which had a mounted machine-gun on it.

"Thanks, Isara. I'll man it for you guys." Richard stated, as he climbed up the tank, as he slowly passed Martha to both of them. "Take care that you don't accidentally drop her. Her labour is progressing further."

"We understand." Welkin stated, as they moved Martha down into the tank, as they laid her on the ground, and placed a blanket over her, to comfort her. Isara then took her place on the driver's seat, while Welkin placed the communication headset on his head, before he then climbed up, and saw that Richard was inside the gunner's porch, giving off a wave and a smile, while he had one hand on the mounted gun. Welkin gave Richard a thumbs-up in return. "Isara, we ready to roll?"

"Engaging engine." Isara stated, as she ignited the engine, as the tank hummed to life, rumbling on the spot. "The Edelweiss is ready for deployment."

"Whoo, this thing is really giving her best!" Richard whooped, as he felt the tremors of the lively tank around him.

"Alicia could still be out there, dodging bullets. And so are Rain's friends, buying time for people to evacuate. Here's the plan. We're going to pick up Alicia and Rain's friends, and get out of town."

"Roger that, Commander Welkin!" Richard saluted back energetically. "We'll carve a path through the Imperials, and get our friends back."

"All right, Edelweiss, move out!" Welkin declared, as the tank moved out of the barn, as it followed the road into the town central.

"Hang in there, Alicia and my friends... Help is coming on the way...!" Richard stated with a hopeful tone.

* * *

_In the town plaza..._

Reisen, Sanae, Alicia, Gus and Marisa were being assaulted by the Imperial troops, as they couldn't even stick their head out for a second, without risking themselves to get shot by the tank's mounted turret, and the shots from the other Imperial troops.

Reisen immediately took a quick-shot at one of the soldiers with her sniper rifle, as she managed to kill the soldier with a shot to the head. However, in doing so, she used up the last bullet in her weapon, as she grunted in frustration, before placing the rifle back into her backpack.

"I'm out of bullets!" Reisen called out. "You all are going to have to do this without my support!"

Gus immediately stood out of cover, as he fired a few shots at a soldier, hitting them several times in the torso, before retreating back into cover, to avoid the fire from the other soldiers.

The tank immediately readied another shot, as it fired another shot at the wooden gate that was blocking the Imperial advance, as everyone nearby flinched and cried, as the gate was close to being blown apart, as there was already a large hole from the repeated tank shots fired upon it.

"Rrgh... This gate can't take much more...!" Alicia exclaimed.

"Even if we got the soldiers down... We don't have any way to take down the tank, which is the thing that is spearheading their assault... As long it's there, more Imperial soldiers are just going to pour in here, until the path is clear!" Sanae stated with a worried tone.

"Come on, Rain... Where the hell are you now...?" Marisa growled under her breath.

The Edelweiss then managed to reach the town plaza, as it was from the directions that the Imperials came from. Welkin took a look out of the tank's periscope, as he could see that they're close to it, although there were a broken fragment of wall blocking the shorter path to it.

"The tank should be able to breach that wall. It may provide us with a shortcut." Isara told Welkin. "Although I'm worried about Rain, who's at the front side of the tank."

"Don't worry about me, a few rocks and pieces of plaster or wood won't harm me." Richard assured Isara. "But still try to be careful. I need my eyes to shoot what I can see."

"All right, let's give it a shot. Hang in there, Alicia!" Welkin responded back, as the Edelweiss immediately fired its main cannon at the wooden wall in the way, as it shattered to pieces, that bounced off the tank's armour, and none of them managed to hit Richard, although he flinched and covered himself to protect himself if any would have done so.

It then pressed forward, as it then turned, and faced the Imperial soldiers, who noticed the Edelweiss coming.

"Uwaugh! T-Tank! It's a Gallian tank!" A Imperial soldier cried in fear.

"You're not going any further as long as we're here! Eat bullets!" Richard yelled back, as he then levelled his gun at the Imperial soldiers, before he then fired off a rapid burst of machine-gun bullets that cut through the soldiers, as they fell one by one. Welkin then opened the hatch, as he stuck himself out of it.

"Alicia! I'm sorry we're late!" Welkin cried.

"Welkin!? You have a tank!?" Alicia responded back.

"What a surprise, right? We can bring down that Imperial tank now!" Richard shouted back, as he waved at her and the group.

"Rain, thank god you made it back!" Gus cried. "The main gate is about to fall, we need to take out that tank, ASAP!"

"Enemy tank sighted, Welks. Switching to anti-tank combat. Armor-piercing shells loaded." Isara reported, as the cannon reloaded itself.

"All right, let's go take it down!" Welkin said. "Everyone, stay in cover! We'll deal with this!"

"I'm going to get off. The MG ain't going to do much against armour that thick." Richard also said, as he immediately exited the gunner's porch, and moved behind the Edelweiss. "Aim for where the engine's radiator is, Welkin! Damaging it should allow you bypass its armour and deal massive damage to the tank itself!"

"Alright!" Welkin stated, as he then aimed the cannon, using the crosshairs in the periscope, locking it on the glowing blue radiator plate on the back of the Imperial tank. "Aim carefully... FIRE!"

The cannon shell then shot out of the Edelweiss's main gun, as it made contact with the radiator plates, blowing them apart, and setting off a chain reaction inside the tank that blew it up, leaving behind a immobile wreck.

"Yes! We stopped it! Nice work, Is!" Welkin cheered.

"Good shot, Welkin! You nailed that bastard in one!" Marisa screamed back with excitement.

"Woo hoo! Now, you're MY hero, Welkin!" Alicia complimented Welkin.

"The Imperials are running off now. Without their tank, they won't be able to make a effective assault, especially with our tank defending it for the moment." Welkin stated. "Looks like we bought some time at least."

"Welks! Welks! It's a boy! Martha had a boy!" Isara exclaimed with joy.

"Sh-She gave birth in Dad's tank!?" Welkin exclaimed, as he looked down to see that Isara was holding two freshly-born babies in her arms, as they were crying loudly.

"Holy... Talk about new life in war!" Richard gasped with shock. "Would you look at that, Alicia! Your wish actually came partially true!"

"Yes, and without complications as well! They're both perfectly healthy."

"Good... That's fantastic! Now, let's stay sharp as we head out of town." Welkin responded back. "Everyone, get in or onto the tank!"

Alicia nodded, as she was the first to go in, as she then tended to Martha, who was much more peaceful than before, having given birth already. Gus and the others immediately hopped onto the tank, as they clung onto the sides, while Richard took his place in the gunner's porch, as the tank then rolled out of town.

* * *

_In the outskirts of the town..._

Welkin and Alicia were standing on the hill, as the Edelweiss was parked flatly on the road, as they both looked at the town, which was smoking from various places. Alicia then clenched her fist, and gritted her teeth in contained anger.

"I thought I would be ready for this. I knew war meant this would happen." Alicia softly stated, before a melancholic look appeared in her eyes. "But it still hurts... Seeing our town overrun like this... Seeing all those people killed... It's just not right. How could all of this happen?"

Alicia then teared up, as she sobbed. "It isn't human, Welkin..." She said, as she wiped the tears off her face with her hand. Welkin then wrapped his arm around her shoulders, as he patted her with a sympathetic expression, before turning to the town again.

"We look at the birds and see how wild and free they are." Welkin replied back, as he looked up to the flying birds. "But they all have their own territories. If anything threatens their home, they'll risk their lives to defend it. People are animals, too. We do what we have to, when we have to. Animals are in a constant struggle to stay alive, but I've also seen them help each other, almost like they were cooperating in order to survive as well."

"Cooperating?" Alicia asked softly.

"That's why I'm so into studying natural science." Welkin explained. "That coexistence... I want to know how it works. If we could figure that out, mankind could put it to use for our own survival. That's why I want to be a teacher, Alicia, so that I can pass that knowledge on to the children of the next generation. I mean, even if we can't completely eliminate war, at least we might learn to live together as one people."

"You think so?" Alicia said.

"That's what I striven for, Alicia." Richard stated with a serious tone, as they turned to find that Isara and Richard were coming around, as both of them were holding Martha's four babies, in bundled towels wrapped around their small bodies. "I want to live in a world, where everyone would be able to treat each other equally. No more of the Darcsen discrimination, no more of petty disputes that always cost so much from everyone involved... I want it so that everyone can live happily, and be able to settle their difference in peace."

"Rain..." Welkin answered back.

"On a brighter note, I think that Martha's babies seem to have made an attachment to me. Look at them smile at their big guardian." Richard smiled warmly, as he showed Alicia and Welkin the babies.

"Martha fell asleep, so that makes me the babysitter with Rain." Isara chimed in. "See, Alicia?"

Alicia looked down at the male baby in Isara's arms, as he had a tuft of brown hair on the top of his head. "Ohh, he's adorable!" Alicia cooed.

"Just like you said, even in war, new life happens around us." Welkin stated, before he then motioned for Isara to hand him the baby, as she did so. "Come here."

He then walked over the hill, until they were both in clear sight of the town. "Look, that's your hometown." Welkin told the baby. "It's going to be much better when you grow up to return to it."

"Someday..." Alicia stated. "We'll come back again, when the war is over."

"Yes." Welkin said, as Richard, Isara and Alicia walked to stand beside him, as they watched the burning town, and the distant gunshots. "Someday soon. I know it."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Squad 7, Form Up!

Response to reviews:

Alright GJO1088, let's get talking about what you have told me for this chapter.

-Oh, trust me, they both are well aware of the hypocrisy and moral ambiguity that occurs throughout the story. and they won't be the only ones that will call out Welkin's questionable views and decisions in the later parts of the story. Especially with the Final Flame incident, and especially with the black-and-white view of things.

-Well, not exactly. In this scenario, all members of Squad 7 will be trained to the point, as if they've been grinded with enough experience to make whatever battle they are about to enter be a easy battle to do without any causalities, given no stupid decisions are made. And Welkin is quite competent in this one, as if he was controlled by a player aiming for a no-death run of the game, and that means that there won't be much problems, which is both good and bad in a way. But hey, Richard and the others are there to pull their asses out of the fire if it's gets difficult, both before and after they're incapacitated.

-Good point there, and that was exactly what I was going to address, with Rain/Richard. He will basically tell Rosie to gently shut the hell up, and understand that it was Captain Varrot's decision that she assigned Welkin as commanding officer of the squad. And if they can't trust him, then by proxy, they don't trust her, which is grounds for insubordination. In fact, he refuses to let Rosie and Largo question Welkin's authority, after the fact that it was because of Welkin's work that they could save a lot more lives in the invasion of Bruhl, than they would in canon history.

-And thanks for the compliment, I'll get to working on it as soon as possible.

* * *

_In Gallia's captial city, Randgriz..._

The Edelweiss rolled along the roads leading to the outer gates of the large capital city, as everyone could get a good look at the places around them, as there were buildings and houses everywhere they could look in front of them. From where they were, they could also see the tall great walls that surround the city's central district, as there was a feudal look to the walls, and they could make out castle spires over the wall.

"Woah... So this is the capital city of this country?" Marisa muttered with astonishment. "I guess that this place looks pretty good for a city."

"Yeah... I guess it's as good as I have heard from travellers that came by our town from time to time." Sanae remarked as well, with a smile. "Randgriz, the beating and prosperous heart of the country, Gallia."

"Heard of? You guys aren't from Gallia, are you?" Welkin asked, as his voice came out of the open top hatch of the tank.

"No, we aren't. We actually were quite close to Gallia, but we never realised that we ended up in it, until we heard Randgriz and several other familiar names." Richard answered back. "Speaking of which, I heard about what's going to happen next."

"Do you?" Alicia asked.

"I heard that Gallia has a universal conscription policy. It's to ensure that there are enough people in the military forces to fight against any outside threats." Richard stated. "Considering that you, Isara and Welkin are citizens of the country, you're most definitely going to get drafted. However, about us... It's going to take a few things to clear over, before we can join up.

"You are going to join the Gallian militia as well...?" Isara questioned as well, slightly concerned about Rain's choice.

"You saw what the Imperials are doing to the places they invade. They have no care about the lives of others." Richard responded back with a solemn tone. "I can't just sit by and watch this tragedy repeat over and over again. We will fight to bring an end to the Empire's ruthless plans of world domination and genocide, even if we risk death."

"Rain..." Welkin muttered, before he then steeled his tone. "No, I understand why you want to do this. But at least remember what Alicia told us."

"That war isn't all about people killing people...? I understand that... which is why I want to save lives by fighting to protect." Richard replied back. "I'm not cruel, but I will take lives, if it'll save many more."

Welkin felt uneasy when hearing Richard's words, before they made their way to the checkpoint, where there were two Gallian station guards, wielding standard-issue rifles in their hands.

"Halt!" A guard cried out, as Isara brought the tank to a stop as commanded, before he and his partner moved towards the tank and its occupants. "What is the purpose of your visit to our capital, Randgriz?"

"We are here to transport our family friend, who has recently given birth. She needs to be sent to a hospital to nurture the health of both herself and her newborns." Welkin stated, as he came out of the tank, while everyone addressed the guards with the appropriate attention. "We also have a few refugees from nearby countries, that seek shelter, and conscription into the national militia."

The other guard eyed the weapons that were in the group's bags, especially the Imperial ones. "We'll have to confiscate the weapons you are carrying." The guard informed them. "Safety procedures, you know."

"Yes, We understand. We will willingly surrender our weapons, and all related ammunition. As long as we are safe, we have no need for weapons." Richard stated, as he gestured for his group to drop their weapons, as well as the ammunition that was stocked within their backpacks. Alicia and Welkin also surrendered their rifles, although Alicia was slightly reluctant to do so.

The guard then whistled at the checkpoint station, as several guards came out, as they picked up the weapons and ammunition, carrying it back into the station to be stored for safety. Afterwards, one of the guards then put a hand out. "Identification please, for those who are citizens of this country. For you refugees, you are allowed entry, but you will need to apply for citizenship, if you wish to stay here in the long-term. Otherwise, if you're joining the militia, then you will be given citizenship rights by default."

"Thank you, sir." Gus gratefully thanked the outpost guard, as Welkin, Isara and Alicia handed their hand-held Gallian passports to the guard, who took his moment to read through each and every one of them, constantly looking back and forth between the passports and the Gallian-born trio.

Afterwards, he then closed the passports one-by-one, and handed them back to their owners, as he saluted back to the group. "You're free to enter. Enjoy your stay, and may Gallia live long."

Marisa slowly imitated the salute, as the Edelweiss drove through the military check-point, approaching the city itself.

* * *

_In the enlistment building for the Gallian Militia..._

Welkin was finished up outfitting himself in the Gallian militia uniform, as he slowly slid the black army gloves over his hands. After he did so, he then went to the mirror, to check himself in the new outfit. He saw himself in black army boots, standard-issue blue-and-red Gallian militia outfit with shoulder-patches, black gloves on his hands, a pouch containing survival tools in it, including compass, flares and binoculars, as well as a world map strapped in front of his chest like a chest-guard. He also had a blue officer beret on his head, sitting neatly on his hair.

"Flares, binoculars, a compass and map..." Welkin listed off his tools, as he rummaged through his bag of tools to pull out each item. "Everything you need for a nice hike... or combat."

Suddenly, there was knocking at his door. "Welkin? Can we come in?" Alicia asked. "I've got Rain with me."

"Sure, it's open." Welkin answered back, as Richard and Alicia came in, before Richard closed the door behind them gently.

Alicia and Richard was both in the militia outfit as well, although Alicia had large blue faded pouches attached to the skirt of her uniform, and she had brown furred boots on her feet, as well as a white collar that went down to her chest, as well steel plating covering her back. Richard's outfit was more bulky, as there were pouches for ammo surrounding his waist.

"Oh, you're already changed too. Let's see..." Alicia hummed, as she took a closer look at Welkin in his current attire. "Not bad, not bad! You look good actually! So, how about me? Do I look all right in this? Convincing?"

"Let's take a look... Heh yeah, you look fine, Alicia. You wear it like a pro." Welkin complimented Alicia.

"Really? You're not just saying that?" Alicia asked with a surprised tone.

"Of course not. You look tough. I like it!" Welkin responded back with a nod.

"Oh... good, I was worried it looked kind of silly actually." Alicia sighed in relief.

"No way. That plating on the back? It's like a coleopterid exoskeleton! Beetle-tastic!" Welkin continued on with a enthusiastic tone.

"Ah heh heh, you might want to use another kind of compliment there, Welkin..." Richard chuckled awkwardly, as Alicia was slightly offended by her being called a beetle.

"What kind of girl wants to hear that she looks like a bug?" Alicia asked back with a annoyed tone.

"Huh? Not just any bug. A rhinoceros beetle. KING of the insects. Who wouldn't want that!?" Welkin quickly replied back.

"Uh huh... I guess I'll just try to take that as a very Welkin sort of compliment." Alicia sighed back.

"Tell me about that scarf. You've been wearing it since I met you." Welkin inquired Alicia.

"Oh, this? It's part of my uniform from the bakery." She stated, pointing at the makeshift headdress on her head.

"Is that right?" Welkin hummed curiously.

"I don't want to forget the time I spent busting my buns, baking." Alicia responded back. "I plan to keep wearing it until I can get back to manning the ovens again."

"That's great. Once you do, I'll be first in line to get some of that bread." Welkin remarked.

"Is that a promise? Well, I'll be sure to have plenty of it ready and waiting for you." Alicia promised back.

"Absolutely. Hey, if you're ready, we should probably-" Welkin stated, before he noticed that he never talked with Richard. "Oh, sorry Rain. I was caught up in the conversation. How are you feeling about your outfit?"

"More comfy than I imagined, really." Richard answered back, as he smiled. "I'm surprised that something that looks as formal and tight like this would feel soft in the inside. I can't even feel the rigid padding pushing against my body like this. In fact, don't I seem like a genuine soldier wearing this? Now I look like I'm truly ready for war now. By the way, we should get the others. We're going to see the captain, are we?"

"Yeah. Let's go and get the others." Welkin stated, as he walked over to the door, and was surprised to see that Sanae and Marisa were already at the door. Marisa was dressed with army pants, with reinforced skirt armour and metal kneepads on her legs and waist, as well as a large shoulder guard on her left shoulder protruding out. Sanae was dressed in a lightweight uniform, as she had a large knapsack of utility tools on her waist, as well as a ammo-box strapped onto her back.

"Sup." Marisa stated with a grin. "I think I'm kind of digging this uniform. Makes me look like I'm a juggernaut waiting to tear enemies to pieces."

"Sally, you're an Engineer?" Richard asked with curiosity.

"Yeah, I decided I'm better off supporting others. Besides, I'm quick on my feet, so I should be able to supply everyone in a few moments, depending on where they are." Sanae answered back.

Soon, Reisen and Gus came in, as Gus was dressed much like Sanae, except with the lack of pouches with items on it, and a small back-pack on his back. Reisen was dressed in the standard uniform, as there was a small pouch on her waist that was longer, as if to store some large ammunition in it.

"We're also done as well." Gus said, as he moved beside the others, and Reisen stood back a little. "Time to go, meet our officer, Welkin and Alicia?"

Welkin nodded, as everyone backed away to let Richard, Alicia and Welkin through, as they followed them to the door leading to the commanding officer's room. He then knocked on the door a few times, waiting for a reply.

"Come in." A mature and collected female voice was heard from the other side. Welkin took the invitation, as he pushed the door open, as everyone entered into the room, while Alicia closed the door this time.

Standing by the side of the room, in front of the cabinets on one side, were three Gallian militia men, as they all wore the same attire as Welkin himself, excluding the officer beret. They watched intently, as Richard, Welkin and Alicia formed up the line in front, while the other formed up as the link in the back. Sitting in the desk on the far end of the room, was a woman dressed in a Gallian militia outfit with white sleeves, short black hair that is tied into a bun behind her head, and piercing green eyes hidden behind her thin glasses.

"Gallian Militia, enlistee Welkin Gunther, reporting for duty." Welkin declared.

"Ma'am, Gallian Militia enlistee Alicia Melchiott, also reporting for duty." Alicia added.

"Gailian Militia enlistee, Rain Craider, saluting my superior officer." Richard saluted firmly. "I look forward to serving you, madam."

"Gallian Militia enlistee... Sally Westgale..." Sanae spoke awkwardly, with a nervous look on her face, as she fidgeted slightly while trying to stand straight and tall. "I-It's a honour to serve you... Officer, ma'am..."

"Gallian Militia enlistee, Mari Shine, ready to kick Imperial ass!" Marisa shouted with a energetic tone, as she saluted herself quickly, although it looked more like slamming the side of her hand to her forehead wildly.

"Gallian Militia enlistee, Remy Keppler, reporting for duty, as ordered, commander." Reisen coolly stated, as she stood rigidly straight like a professional soldier.

"Gallian Militia enlistee, Gus Teller, ready to serve the nation in the war, madam." Gus sounded off, as the last person to report himself to his officer.

"Hm... Quite a number of recruits as a group here." The female officer in the room remarked. "I'm Captain Eleanor Varrot, commander of this regiment."

She then fixed the side of her glasses with her hand, as she continued. "Gunther, in honour of your father's legacy, I will promote you to lieutenant immediately. You'll be the leader of Squad 7 now." Eleanor continued. "Enlistee Melchiott, you're promoted to sergeant. You'll be under the lieutenant's command. Understood?"

"Ma'am!" Alicia exclaimed back with a understanding tone.

"As for you, Enlistee Rain..." Varrot stated, before she then pulled out a folder, as she scanned the content inside of it. "Considering of your background as a Darcsen, it has been heavily contested about the fact that you should be even be allowed the right to enlist, let alone be able to be commissioned under our unit."

Richard's expression slightly drooped into disappointment, to reflect his feelings, but he still remained silent.

"However, considering your actions back in the town of Bruhl, the opinions regarding you have swayed for the better. Enough to allow you to properly enlist, although it may cause some long-term problems in the future." Varrot added, as she closed the folder. "Thus, you will be enlisted under Squad 7, as a soldier with limited rights. You will not be able to enjoy the same leisures and rights as the soldiers, so I will allow you to decide whether you will continue on your enlistment, or back out. If you choose to be a civilian, you will be treated as such. Gallia has learnt to tolerate Darcsens over time, although not everyone is truly free of that notion."

"Thank you, Captain Varrot, for the decision you offer me." Richard answered back, as he deeply bowed. "But I will enlist in the army. I don't expect to be seen as an equal to my peers, until I have proven myself worthy of such. I care not for leisures and rights, so long as I am able to fight for this country with all I have. If I have to suffer discrimination as a soldier of a blood-thirsty and ruthless race of barbarians, then I will do so, and prove those notions wrong, by fighting with both honour and fairness, and show my peers both compassion and kindness. That is my sole vow I will hold within my heart, as I walk along with the men and women who fight for Gallia."

"Then it's settled. Enlistee Rain, as proven by your actions, with testimonies given by the townspeople of Bruhl, you will be promoted to the rank of Sergeant alongside Alicia in Squad 7." Varrot said. "As for the rest of you. Enlistee Mari, Enlistee Gus, Enlistee Remy, Enlistee Sally, you will all be assigned under Squad 7 as Private 1st Classes."

Suddenly, one of the militia men by the side then walked up to Welkin, as he was a young man with short brown hair combed backwards, as well as light brown eyes.

"What do you know... it is you." The militia spoke, as he smiled.

"Faldio!?" Welkin exclaimed, turning around to face his friend. "I had no idea that you'd enlist for the war."

"Yeah. Now that there's a real war going on, I joined up. Pretty much all the officer in training boys are here just like you." Faldio stated.

"You know each other?" Varrot asked both of them.

"Yes ma'am. We knew each other at university. Welkin was in science, and I was in archeology." Faldio answered back, before turning to Welkin again. "And just look at us now. No archeology or science here. Looks like the two of us are studying war I guess, old friend."

"Looks that way. It's good to see you again." Welkin replied back, as they both lifted their arms and clasped their hands together in a brotherly gesture.

"And you." Faldio smirked, before he frowned a little, as he let go. "But I'm surprised and worried at the same time, that you found another Darcsen. Isara, your sister, I'm used to, but this new guy... He worries me a little."

"Don't worry about Rain. He's a real good guy. He really knows how to fight, and he literally ran into the battlefield to help the villagers back then." Welkin assured Faldio. "He also helped me with the Edelweiss when we got it out of the barn, as he took the gunner's seat to help cover the towns-guard and his friends with the mounted machine-gun. He was a good shot with that, I can tell you, Faldio."

"I see..." Faldio turned to Richard, who gave him a disarming smile and wave back. "I might need some time to get used to him."

"That'll be all for now. There's a strategy briefing later today." Varrot discussed with everyone in the room. "But you still have time, time for you to catch up later. You'll be spending a lot of time on the post and in Randgriz. They'll be your new home, so get to know the place and the people. That'll be all. Report back in time for the briefing. Until then, you're dismissed."

Everyone saluted back to Varrot, as they cried out 'Ma'am!' together, before they left the room in a orderly fashion. Faldio and his two squadmates then split off in another direction.

"Anyway, I got to get back to my squad. See you later, Welkin, and your friends as well." Faldio said, as he waved at Welkin, before he left with his comrades through the opposite direction.

"Well... What gives?" Marisa asked in slight outrage. "Sure, Rain's a Darcsen, but he's no way like his barbaric ancestors before. He's just protective of his friends, that's all. I mean, you must have saw him go nuts when he was protecting one of you, right?"

Welkin recalled what happened back in his household, where Richard almost killed the Imperial soldier, by smashing the weapon's stock into his face repeatedly with enough force to crack bone with the impact. He felt like if he didn't stop Richard, then he might have actually killed the soldier on the spot with how he was brutally attacking.

"Yeah... I kind of got a up-front view of something like that." Welkin stated, refusing to expand into more details about what he remembered.

"It's fine, Mari." Richard assured Marisa. "Whatever could happen? I'm sure that they wouldn't go too far with the restrictions that they might set me. Sure, they might supply me with one less clip, or missing some tools, but as long as I can still fight effectively, I can work in the battlefield with whatever I get."

"Geez... You're like making it sound like that it's only going to get worse." Sanae sighed.

"Anyway, 'leader'. Where to next?" Richard asked. "You're the leading officer of this squad, so take us wherever you like. And we'll follow."

"Right then... We'll head to the training grounds. Surely we need to see if there is anyway to prepare ourselves for the ordeal to come." Welkin stated.

"Lead the way then, Welkin." Richard smiled slightly, as he moved aside to allow Welkin to move in front of the group. "I'm sure that you have a map at the ready to take us where we need to go."

* * *

_At the training field..._

The group arrived at the large training field, which was situated in a large open space in a Gallian military base, as there were sheds and bunks to either sides of them. In front of them were various locations for training, such as a football field, various obstacle courses on the ground, a tightrope courses above a small lake, a running track in the dirt, and mock battlefield grounds.

At the current moment, the group watched as the training fields were put to work, as most of the places were occupied by Gailian soldiers, as they worked through their training routines. Some struggled, while others excelled, as it led to both ironically hilarious outcomes, such as a solider shaking himself in fear off the tightrope, landing himself for a cold dunk into the lake, and inspiring scenes, such as a soldier managing to complete his training routines with such excellence that the people nearby cheered for him, as he collapsed to the ground, completely exhausted.

While they were watching, they saw that the drill instructor was supervising a group of soldiers, who were doing body exercises, as they were all currently doing push-ups. The drill instructor was a man in Gallian officer gear, as he had short dark-grey hair that seemed to be styled to leave fringes on the sides. He also had a blue strapped eyepatch over his left eye, and his right visible eye was dark blue. He also had a intimidating face, and short sprigs under his nose as a small moustache.

"What are you maggots doing? Are you trying to kiss the ground!?" The drill instructor roared with a thunderous voice, as he bent down and screamed in the face of a Gallian recruit, who immediately redoubled his efforts to try and keep up, although he was only exhausting himself further. "I have seen my own mother do push-ups better than you as all are now! You better work for your improvement, or I'll make sure that you'll be paying for it dearly!"

"Um, Sergeant Calvaro?" Welkin asked, daring not to speak out loud or boldly, as if to avoid challenging the instructor's authority with those words.

The instructor, Calvaro then turned back, as he saw the group walk towards him, as he then glared at the recruit, who immediately whimpered and got back to his training, as the sergeant then looked up at them.

"Well, I certainly expected that a young sprout like you would be the new leader of Squad 7." Calvaro remarked, before he snorted and crossed his arms, as he eyed each section of the training field. The others followed his eyes, as they saw the training progressing around them. "Welcome to your worst nightmare, kiddos! I'm the guy who's going to whip you lazy blobs into shape!"

"Hey! Who are you calling a lazy blob!?" Marisa shouted back, taking offence to what Calvaro said. However, the drill instructor merely ignored her outburst, as he continued on, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Still, I can't work miracles here. No amount of drilling beats real combat experience." He continued. "I want you all to get out there, kick some Imp tail, and then show me what you have learned! I will use that combat experience that you have obtained from the battle, and refine into pure improvement for all of you! Make you soft-bodied brats more hardier to anything that comes your way, and to actually learn to hit your enemy properly, as well as to not get hit at all!"

"That sounds quite nice to learn." Gus stated, before Calvaro then walked right into his face, as he barked his next words right into his face.

"BUT! Don't go tryin' to hog all the glory! A squad's a team and we got no need for stars! I bet that you're thinking of that, inside that little heads of yours, huh!?" Calvaro shouted.

"...No?" Gus squeaked back in a meek voice, as Calvaro immediately took the response as something he could accept, backing away from Gus, who slowly regained his composure.

"You train as a class, and you develop as a class. You will all be trained the same, and you will always be at the same level as your peers. There might be slight difference from one person to another, but I will not accept any significant differences." Calvaro stated. "You hear me!? Any of you think he's better than the rest of the team, go home now!"

Nobody reacted, as they stood there, with their eyes intently on Calvaro, as Gus kept his mouth silent, fearing of incurring the drill sergeant's ire with another comment.

"Good. Now, let me tell you lowlifes how this whole thing works." Calvaro pressed on with his explanation, before he then pointed at a large chalkboard in the centre of the training field. "I won't be training every class at the same time, for all hours at all days. You will decide how much time you will allocate for each class within the squad to train with me, to turn their impure experience in battle, into pure improvement. If you want to get stronger, then you better devote both the experience and devotion of battle, and your time training and drilling to improve yourself. End of story. Since I know that you with the fancy beret would be the squad leader, you decide the times dedicated for each team. Change up your schedule weekly, so that you evenly distribute training for each class. Now, give it a go!"

Calvaro then left, as he got back to training the recruits, while Welkin walked up to the chalkboard, where there were several symbols on it, as well as a large table to represent the timeslots for training for each class. There were some symbols already inputted into some of the time-slots.

"I can't seem to understand the symbols indicated here." Reisen stated, pointing at the five kinds of symbols that she was seeing by the side and in the timeslots. "Mind if someone explains?"

"Of course, those are the five fundamental basic classes of the Gallian army." Alicia took the request from Reisen for herself, as she pointed at each of the symbols, and explained them.

She pointed to a symbol of a M letter with large curved ends, as it was twisted to look like binoculars. "Those are the symbols for Scouts. They're basically known for being quite mobile, and spotting out things around the battlefield."

She then pointed to a symbol of two chevrons on top of each other, as the bottom one was separated into two parts by a vertical line. "These are the Stormtroopers, which are basically both the shield and sword of the army. They have excelling offence and defence, since their weapon is meant to deal with enemy personnel from close to medium ranges."

The next symbol to explain, was a large bell-like arch, with a horizontal line under it. "The Lancers are the anti-tank units, as their lances can fire penetrating rockets that can destroy tanks with a clear shot. Not only that, they're resistant to explosives like grenades and mortars. But they are slow and vulnerable to gunfire. Plus, they only have so much rockets without anything to resupply them."

The fourth symbol was a wrench's head, a hexagon missing two edges on one side. "The Engineers are combat support. They handle supplies and ammunition, treat the wounded and even repair tanks. They also can do more things than you would think, with the right tools. The only thing is that they're not good fighters at all."

The last symbol was a circular cross-hair with three dots inside of it. "These are the snipers. They can shoot down enemies from considerable distance, with deadly accuracy. But they're also slow and weak. If they are spotted, and are in range, they'll be torn up before they could find cover to avoid being hurt."

"So, considering our respective loadouts, Welkin, you and Gus are Scouts, I'm a Stormtrooper, Sally's a Engineer, Mari's a Lancer, and Remy's a Sniper." Richard stated. "That right, Alicia?"

"Yeah, I guess so, considering how you, Gus and Remy fought before." Alicia stated.

"Alright then... Better to leave this unchanged for the moment." Welkin remarked. "We haven't meet our entire squad yet, so we can't just prepare training for them, without getting to know their strengths, weaknesses and classes as well."

"Right then... So off to the command room then?" Sanae suggested.

Welkin nodded, as they left the training hall, as Calvaro's cries of training instructions faded in the distance.

* * *

_In the command room..._

The group entered the command room, where Captain Varrot was waiting, as she was standing over the war table, where there were pieces over a map, representing various battalions and forces for both Gallia and Empire armies.

"Ah, Welkin. It's good to see you doing the rounds. Welcome. It is not yet time for the briefing." Varrot greeted the group. "This is the command room. Use it structure your squad. You'll have access to both drafted and volunteer recruits. Now that I think of it, Squad 7 is still short on soldiers, isn't it? I'll explain how you will enlist soldiers into your squad."

She then produced a large dossier, with many names written on the tabs on the side. "This here is the master list. The recruits have been all assigned classes based on their talents. Do you all know the five soldier classes in the army?"

Welkin nodded, as Richard answered back. "We do, Captain Varrot. When we went to the training field, Alicia was kind enough to give an explanation for my friend Sally. I'm sure that she was the only one that wasn't sure of each class, so I think we're touched up on it."

"I see..." Varrot stated, as she gave Alicia a analytical gaze, before she then smiled. "You have enlisted with several people with respectable traits and talents."

"Thank you, Captain." Welkin responded back, as Varrot handed him the master list, and he opened it. "Let's see here..."

Welkin slowly examined the list, as he checked the details of each and every recruit that is available for enlistment into Squad 7. As he read, his expression often changed into either interest, worry or even pure disbelief. When he finished reading through the master list, he then handed it back to Varrot.

"I've made my decision on who will be in my squad, Captain." Welkin said. "So, as for now, Squad 7 should be limited to 25 squad-mates, excluding myself and the Edelweiss?"

"That is right." Varrot stated. "Well? Felt like that you struck a balance between the five classes? You are free to change and substitute squad-mates with the pool of recruits and volunteers here. As time passes, if you do well, then you will have more recruits to choose from in the future, so frequently check for them. Trust in your own judgement and pick a team that will be suited for the missions assigned to you. That should be enough to get you started. You can figure out the rest as you go, Welkin. Be sure to change the squad roster with your choices."

Welkin nodded again, as he then moved to where the squad roster was, as he wrote down the names of his choices in each and every space, as Richard's group took up 5 slots, and Alicia was in one of them. The rest were names that was unfamiliar to everyone but Richard and Sanae, who did not comment at all in Welkin's choices.

"Very well. You will have your squad at the ready, when the briefing comes." Varrot remarked, looking at the list. "Is that all you wish to do here?"

"Yes, we'll take our leave." Welkin stated, as he then left with the others following him, as he closed the door to the command room. "Wow! Squad leader's a lot of responsibility."

"Of course it does!" Sanae replied back. "You got to take care of most things for the squad. You have to decide who fights on the frontlines, how everyone is trained, and how to best utilise one's talents for battle."

"Right... Come to think of it, Faldio's heading up Squad 1, isn't he?" Welkin muttered. "I wonder if he's off sorting through this stuff too. I'd better get used to this. But before that... Rain?"

"Yes, Welkin? I'm all ears for what you have to say." Richard answered back with a firm nod.

"Rain, I want to ask you something... Will you be fine having to be in the same class as someone who has a horrible hatred of Darcsens?" Welkin asked. "Brigitte Stark, or Rosie as she prefers to be called... She doesn't seem to have a good background regarding them. It could be a major problem with you, when she might try to discriminate you."

"...I see." Richard stated with a stoic expression.

"Wait, why would put someone who radically hates people like Rain in your squad!?" Marisa exclaimed in complaint. "She could end up messing up things with that kind of discrimination."

"I am well aware of that, Mari." Welkin sighed with a worried tone. "But, Rosie is a very potent stormtrooper. She is considered to be one of the top soldiers in the class, and other than that small problem, she is perfectly capable of being a optimal squad-mate. I worry about the problems that she may bring with Isara and Rain, but I think that Rain should be able to shoulder her hatred, and be a good example to help turn her opinion regarding the Darcsen race, with his actions."

"...I'll do my best, Welkin. I won't guarantee that I will be able to change her mind, but I believe that she just needs to believe that not all Darcsens are the same as before in the past." Rain responded back.

"I would be happy to hear that... but that's not the actual reason why she hates Darcsens..." Welkin continued with a grim tone. "...It was in a Darcsen hunt, that her own family and town were taken from her when she was just a child. I believe that's why she hated the Darcsens, because she believed that it was because her town held a high Darcsen population, and that the Imperial forces punished her village for it by executing every single person in it they could find."

"That's... That's...!" Sanae gasped with horror, as she covered her wide-open mouth with her hands, as Richard slightly showed a worried expression.

"So it's misplaced hatred..." Richard responded back. "...That only makes it even more important that I clear her of it."

"Rain..." Welkin stated, before he then shook his head. "Let's not talk further about this. We'll head to the R&D department next."

* * *

_In the R&D department..._

The group entered the large building, as there were Gallian army vehicles parked in several spots, as well as various researchers in white coats with blue collars, working hard at their work-stations, and transporting various items and materials around the place. Soon, one of them, who was a tall man, with short brown hair that hung by the sides of his head, with eyes so narrow that no-one could tell what his eye colour was with how much of his eyes was obscured, as well as red lab goggles on his head.

"Welcome to R&D, man. What can I do you for?" The researcher greeted them, before he then noticed Welkin, as he took a closer look at him. "Huh? Wait, I know that insignia! You're Lieutenant Gunther, aren't ya? I knew it! Man, I've heard about you! That evacuation at Bruhl was just... WOW! Protecting all those tiny lives in the middle of all that slaughter... Man... MAN!"

The researcher seemed to be quite excited, as he was pumping his fists, and using a overly-amazed tone in his words. "Lieutenant, you're good people! You get all my respect and then some, bro!" He shouted with admiration. "And the same goes with your friends! I can't believe that they helped you through this ordeal!"

Soon, another researcher came to where the group where, as he had dark-green short hair that covered most of his head, and golden eyes behind his brown square glasses. "What's going on, Leon? I could hear you from clear across the hangar..." The other researcher grumbled to him.

"Oh! KC! Check it out! It's Lieutenant Gunther! He's the MAN, man!" Leon shouted.

"Ha ha! Sorry about him, Lieutenant and all of you from Squad 7. He's like this all the time, I'm afraid." 'KC' chuckled, as he smiled at the group, and placing a hand on his chest. "But where are my manners? I'm Kreis Czherny, I'm training here as a mechanic."

"Oh oh! And I'm Leon Schmidt! But just call me Leon, bros! I'm your boy for R&D!" Leon chimed in.

"So, Lieutenant Gunther, what brings you down to R&D today?" Kreis asked the Lieutenant.

"We are just doing our rounds around this entire city, including the military departments." Welkin answered back. "Could you give me a summary of what the R&D department do?"

"We do work here on weapon development, making upgraded weapons and equipment for all soldiers." Kreis explained.

"And that includes rifles and machine guns! We can even soup up that old lady of a tank of yours!" Leon stated. "It's parked right inside the hangar here, being repaired and maintained by our crew of mechanics! Of course, research expenses aren't cheap."

"With rifles and other fire-arms, we'll mass-produce the new models as they're developed." Kreis continued. "You won't have to worry about making enough for the squad that way. We'll outfit them with the weapons they need."

"For tanks, you can upgrade the baseline performance of the body itself, or develop optional parts that you can add on to tweak out its specs!" Leon added.

"Is there any way that we can develop any of our weapons so far?" Welkin requested.

"With our current funding, we can develop most of the fire-arms into the next level." Leon stated. "So we'll get to work on that immediately. And we also managed to start production of improved combat-suits for the soldiers. It will be more resistant to gunfire overall."

"Thank you for your assistance." Rain stated, before he then noticed Isara. "Hm? Hey, look, Welkins, Isara is here."

"Really? Sorry Leon, Kreis... I just need to check on my sister." Welkin stated, as Leon gave him a smile and thumbs-up, as the group went to Isara.

Isara was pulling a cart that had several containers of blue glowing energy, before she the turned to the group, as she was dressed in Gallian engineer gear, with her traditional scarf over her neck, and communication headsets around them.

"Oh! There you all are! I've been looking for you in particular, Welks!" Isara replied, as she saluted to them.

"How'd your enlistment go? No problems?" Welkin asked Isara in a caring manner.

"I registered as a tank pilot and mechanic. Other than raising a few eyebrows with the Commander, when I revealed myself to be Darcsen, I didn't have much problems." Isara answered back. "Maintain and operating the Edelweiss will be my responsibility from now on."

"I think it's nice that we'll all be on the same squad together." Alicia remarked, before she then hugged by a joyous Sanae."Wha!?"

"Aww... Thank you, Alicia. That's sweet of you." Sanae stated.

"I think so too." Isara added

"You... didn't have much problems with your status, Isara?" Richard asked, as Isara shook her head no, and he sighed deeply. "Ah... The Commander might have been more concerned about me, since I'm a combat role as a active stormtrooper, so she had to do a more thorough 'interview' with me, to make sure I made my choice. Don't worry, it wasn't anything invasive."

"So what are you up to now, Is?" Welkin asked his adopted sister.

"The tank is just right nearby. I was just carrying some ragnite fuel back. It's used to power everything in the tank, including the turret-mounted cannon rounds."

"I guess I'm just more used to seeing it in street lamps and medical compounds." Welkin hummed gently.

"Seems like everything is ragnite-powered these days. This stuff is everywhere." Alicia commented as well.

Richard and Sanae exchanged sly grins to each other, with the others being unaware of the brief exchange, before they turned back to the group like they were before.

"Not enough of it for some people. It's the source of a lot of conflict." Isara stated.

"Is that so...? I recall reading from the basic information coalesced in the dossiers we had, that the likely motive of the Empire for invading Gallia was to take advantage of the ragnite-rich grounds of the country." Reisen responded back.

"Tch... I recall having a time when this happened before..." Marisa muttered under her breath.

"Oh, that's right... Welks, take this!" Isara exclaimed, as he handed Welkin a small pistol-like gun with a wide barrel and a even-larger cylindrical body. "This is father's flare-gun. It was in the barn, but I thought you might have some use for it."

"Another hand-me-down." Welkin sighed, as he pocketed the flare-gun into his hip-mounted pouches.

"I gave it a once-over. It may be old, but it's still serviceable." Isara assured Welkin, her brother, about the condition of the item.

"I didn't mean... I just can't believe I'm a tank operator and a commander now." Welkin replied back with a concerned tone, before he smiled back. "Thank you for this, Is."

"I'll do a spot-check on the Edelweiss now, to make sure it's ready to go at any time." Isara added.

"Alright then, we'll get going then. See you later." Alicia stated, as Welkin and Alicia turned to leave.

"Hope you'll be fine in your position, Isara." Richard told Isara with a caring tone.

"You too, Rain... I'm more concerned about you than myself..." Isara answered back with a slightly worried tone.

Richard was slightly shocked to hear that reply from Isara, as his mouth clamped shut, and he turned quickly away. '_Did Isara just say for me to take care...? Wow, I must be really nailing my acting down on them quite well here..._'

He then turned to Welkin. "So, Welkin. What's next?" Welkin asked, as he then checked the time on a nearby clock. "Well, looks like it's almost time for the briefing. You all best hurry to the briefing room to meet up with the Commander and the other squad leaders."

"Thanks, and just a favour, Rain... Could you mind staying out for this session of briefing? I doubt that Rosie and some of the people who are averse to Darcsens would be happy to see you with them." Welkin requested.

"Oh... That's fine. Just make sure that you bring me a written copy of the briefing details. If not, just write one up as a note. Just the important specifics, like formation of enemy and ally units, terrain conditions, and all other variables to assume for a battle." Richard accepted, before he then turned back to Isara. "Hey Isara, mind if I hop into the Edelweiss with you? Welkin's going to pass me the briefing notes after it's done and dusted."

"Sure..." Isara stated, as she then pointed at the top hatch. "Climb in, it's open."

"Right." Richard replied back shortly, as he made his way into the tank, and plopped himself into the interior of the tank.

"Right then. The rest of you... With me." Welkin ordered, as everyone else immediately bunched up on Welkin. As they left, Welkin could see Kreis and Leon waving them off.

"Come again a little later. We'll do our best to have something useful for you by then, Lieutenant." Kreis told them all.

"Yeah, you better come back soon, bro! I'm all fired up to work on stuff for you!" Leon added.

* * *

_In the briefing room..._

"Here are the details of the current operation." Varrot stated, as she then pulled down the map of the area, as there were several markings and symbols on it, such as two circles on the south end of the area with A and B respectively in each of them, and in different positions, and coloured lines to represent the frontline of the two forces. There were also arrows indicating the suggested and estimated movements of both allied and enemy forces as well. "The Imperial force is deployed in a defensive formation around a camp within Vasel's urban centre."

She then used her metallic pointer to indicated the two teams of Squad 7 on the south end. "You will assign your squad positions, split between a city team and a riverside team. The city team will protect the base camp, while the riverside team strikes the enemy. Your objective is to occupy the enemy's main camp, in order to force a rout on their forces. Intelligence also reports that tanks may be stationed in the city area, so an anti-tank unit is recommended to facilitate its destruction. I would also recommend you to have units with high agility and mobility to your riverside team, to achieve a proper assault before enemies can fortify their position. That is all." Varrot concluded her briefing, as she folded her metallic pointer.

As Welkin looked around at the various members of Squad 7, discuss about the mission, two individuals caught his eye, as one was them were staring at him intensely, and the other merely spared a glance at him, before shaking they were disappointed.

The one that was glaring at him, with a girl with light-brown hair that was tied up into round buns on the side of her heads, as her brown eyes had a dirty look in them towards Welkin, and dressed in stormtrooper gear. The other one that he took note of, was a stocky character, that was taller and bulkier than the other soldiers in the room, that had dark brown hair with side-burns, and a short partial beard, and dark-brown eyes. He was clad in the uniform of a Lancer, fitting for someone as strong-looking as him.

"Bridgette Stark... Rosie... Largo Potter..." Welkin muttered, reminding himself of the names of the people who caught his attention, as he took extra notice of Rosie's glare at him. "She sure doesn't seem happy about me being the commanding officer... But she'll have more on her plate to deal with... Once she finds out about Rain, then Isara... Hope her hatred for Darcsens will not run too deep..."

The girl that Welkin named Rosie, scoffed, as she turned away and left the briefing room, while the other person near her, Largo, left as well, chasing after the slender stormtrooper.

"They're both officers in terms of their own classes..." Welkin further noted about them. "They could be considered to be the most reliable of the group... But what good will that do, if they cannot even trust my judgement as their CO...?"

Alicia noted the conflicted expression on Welkin's face, as she walked over and patted him on the shoulder in a attempt to comfort him.

"Alicia?" Welkin asked, noticing that his friend had a sympathetic expression, allowing him to notice what she was trying to do. "I see... I'll do my best to not let the problems that we currently have drag us down too much. I have to trust in the capabilities of everyone, and guide them using what I can discern on the battlefield."

Alicia smiled, as they were then both dragged out by Marisa, who was impatient.

"Come on, you two! You heard the Commander, we're going to the battlefield, pronto!" Marisa remarked, as Welkin managed to get a quick look at the squad roster for the mission.

City Team: Largo, Sally, Mari, Remy, Gus

Riverside Team: Rain, Edelweiss (+Isara & Welkin), Rosie, Alicia

"Right then... Time for my first battle as a squad commander..." Welkin muttered, as he prepared himself for the first of the battles to come.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Commander Welkin's Victory in Vasel

Response to reviews, as always:

-Well, that may depend. Richard, Sanae, Gus, Reisen and Marisa are compulsory party members, as they have to follow around Richard, unless in certain cases, where their talents might be left better elsewhere. Rosie and Largo are also possibly involved. However, in larger missions, there will be members of Squad 7 joining the team on the battlefield, as they will often exchange banter with the team and support the entire group through the battles.

-Damn right. Vyse and Aika are on the top of the list for possible Squad 7 members to join in. Vyse is most definitely going to be happy to have a person who is as fearless and aggressive as him, when it comes to fighting, like Richard.

-I've taken a read, and it's quite good so far. Don't get yourself hung up. Just write whatever your heart decides, and take advice from others when writing the story's plot and setting. I've learned that after quite a while.

* * *

_In Vasel..._

The two teams already made it to their positions, as the city team looked around for any Imperial soldiers that might try to ambush them. Luckily they found none. On the other side, the river-side team have made it to their starting positions for the operation, as the Edelweiss rolled with Rosie and Alicia followed beside it.

Welkin then popped out of the top hatch of the tank, his head-set already activated. "Split into two teams, defensive and offensive! Squad 7, move out!" Welkin ordered, as he threw his arm forward as a signal, before he retreated back into the customised tank. "Remember that this is our first mission. I'll lead the riverside team towards the enemy encampment with the Edelweiss. We should be able to plow through the enemy resistance with it. But in case if we face any Lancers..."

"Shocktrooper here. Leave the offence to me." Rosie stated with a confident tone.

"We'll make sure to cover you. Just be sure to help us get rid of the enemies as well, Welkin." Alicia added.

"City team, your job is to guard the base. Be ready for anything, including tanks." Welkin told the other team.

"How long you think I been a anti-tank man? Couple of tanks ain't no sweat!" Largo bragged.

"We'll push back the Imperial vanguard in the city together." Gus stated.

"That's the spirit, both of you." Welkin complimented them both. "Now, let's move out!"

"Hey, Welkin? Took a peek through the periscope, and got two Imperial soldiers ahead, behind sandbag cover. You should loosen them up with a mortar shot." Richard told Welkin.

"What the...? Who is also there in the tank?" Rosie asked, turning to the Edelweiss.

"He's the fourth member of the riverside team. Rain Craider." Welkin introduced Richard to Rosie, as he then looked down to Richard inside the tank. "You should be able to come out now."

"Roger that, Lieutenant." Richard dutifully replied back, as Welkin came down into the tank, and Richard then came out of it, with the Mags M2 in his hands. He then closed the tank hatch, and gave two knocks on it. "Be careful not to mess up here, alright, Welkin? We don't want to end out first battle with causalities."

"I'll take care." Welkin answered back, as Richard then hopped off the top of the tank, and landed in front of it, right beside the group, as he turned to Rosie. "So... You're the top stormtrooper, Rosie?"

Rosie didn't even reply, as she noticed that Richard had raven-black hair, which reminded her a Darcsen. Still, she didn't see the traditional scarf around his neck, so she assumed that his hair colour was a mere coincidence. Still, the hair colour itself left a seed of distrust and doubt in her heart.

"I see... Not one to talk much to others..." Richard responded back with a mutter, before he smiled harmlessly. "Don't worry, it's fine. We have a lot of time to get to know each other."

"Alright, Rosie, Alicia, Rain... Advance and take cover on the sandbags in front. The Edelweiss will fire off a mortar shot to destroy the enemy's cover." Welkin ordered.

"Roger!" Alicia cried, as the three of them immediately advanced. As expected, the two Imperial soldiers who were hiding behind cover immediately fired their rifles in interception, as they immediately made sure that the shots only hit their body. However, from a nearby patch of tall grass, a third Imperial soldier rose up, as he fired their rifle at them.

"Another one!?" Richard exclaimed, as he immediately ducked down and slid to cover, as he managed to spot the enemy, before they ducked down into the grass again. "Crap... Alicia! I can't get this guy if you don't smoke him out with a grenade!"

"We shouldn't waste the only grenade I have, Rain..." Alicia responded back. "Do you have a good idea where he might be?"

"I do..." Richard stated, as Alicia and Rosie ducked behind cover as well, before he then levelled his Mags-M2 at where he guessed the Imperial soldier to be. "Here goes..."

Richard then fired the entire clip of his weapon into the grass, as there was the sound of bullet impacting metal, as well as the gurgling sound of a dying soldier.

"...That was lucky..." Richard sighed, as he took the moment to slap another full clip into the weapon.

Rosie looked at Richard with a intrigued expression, with an eyebrow raised.

"Alright, moving forwards!" Welkin cried, as the Edelweiss then moved to a suitable position to attack. It then raised its cannon turret up a bit, as if it was firing a arcing shot. "FIRE!"

The tank cannon fired off a large blue warhead, that impacted with the sandbag pile that two of the Imperial soldiers were hiding behind, as the explosion tossed them both out into the air like ragdolls, and the cover destroyed.

"City team, what is your status?" Welkin asked.

"So far, we have no-one advancing on us yet." Largo responded back.

"But there is some enemies that are within my sight to take care of..." Reisen said, as she then levelled her rifle onto her eye. She then aimed for one of the soldiers in the alleys that would lead into the base, as she then fired off a shot that impacted the head of the soldier for a instant-kill. "Target neutralised."

"Hey, I see a ladder heading up to the rooftops, Remy!" Sanae exclaimed, as she pointed to the ladder in the left alley. "You should head up there."

"What are your orders, Lieutenant?" Reisen asked. "Should I take position?"

"Yes, but be careful while you move up." Welkin accepted.

"Don't worry, I got her advance covered. Sally is also vigilant for anyone who might come our way." Gus stated.

Reisen then immediately sprinted to the ladder, as she climbed up it, and got a clear view of the enemy base with the Imperial Tank stationed with the enemy squad. "Remy here, found the rest of the enemies." She reported. "They got a tank, alright. Be glad it's just one."

"Woo! Then I'm going to be the one to blow it to smithereens!" Mari cheered.

"Right, city team, make your advance through the city. Use cover cautiously, and Remy, can you use what you can see to guide the others?" Welkin asked.

"Can do." Remy stated. "Lot of enemies in front, so you should thin the numbers before you advance to threaten their base."

"Got that." Sanae said, as she then advanced slowly, before she then found another Imperial soldier in the alley. "Found one! Take this!"

She then fired off her rifle a few times, as her shots managed to down the enemy in front of her, as she then let out a sigh of relief, as she reloaded her weapon. "Whew... Got it." She huffed.

"Enemies are advancing, you got some coming your way, Lieutenant." Remy informed everyone, as from her high position, she could see that the Imperial forces started making a aggressive advance towards the Squad 7 teams, splitting up to attack both of them.

"We'll be ready for them." Rosie stated with a bold tone, as she cocked her gun to prime it for firing.

As Remy said, the group managed to see that there were several Imperial soldiers coming their way, as they were led by a red-suited Imperial soldier, indicating that he was a leader.

Richard and Rosie looked at each other, exchanging a silent gesture between each other, as they nodded, and then fired into the enemy crowd in unison when they were within range, as the machine-gun shots tore the enemy squad to pieces. As the enemy squad leader fell to the ground riddled with bullet holes in his armour, the group then looked around for any other enemies.

"...That's one of their squad leaders... Taking them out should blunt the enemy momentum a little." Richard stated. "And, Rosie... Thanks for the assist."

Rosie was silent for a moment, before she then turned away. "I'm just helping you because we're taking out the same targets." She stated evenly back.

With the city team, the Imperial Soldiers poured from the alleys, as Gus and Sanae fired back in a attempt to stop them. They got a few shots aimed back at them, but they managed to stick to cover well enough to avoid getting shot. They managed to take out the closest of the soldiers, as the others were forced to take cover outside of the alley.

"Right... All teams, advance! Remy, take care of any enemies who might ambush the city team." Welkin commanded.

Reisen silently acknowledged the order, as she took out the two soldiers who were hiding beside the exit of the alleys, allowing the team to advance safely.

Richard, Rosie and Alicia advanced first, as they ran up the ramp, before Alicia noticed that there was a figure hiding inside the grass patch beside the ramp.

"Enemy sighted in the grass!" Alicia shouted, as she swivelled to face where the enemy was, before she then pulled out a grenade. "I guess that Rain's right in this case... It will be hard to hit the enemy from here, if they're in the grass..."

She then threw the grenade, as the explosive blew the hidden soldier out of the grass, as it was another Imperial soldier in red, although he seemed to look different than the typical Imperial squad leader.

"This guy doesn't look like he's going to be a easy guy to take down!" Richard exclaimed, as he then levelled his weapon to fire. "But I won't let him get the chance to ambush us!"

He then fired his machine-gun, as the Imperial elite tried to dodge the attacks, although he was shocked that Richard's shots accounted for his evasion, as they all hit the target and shot him into a incapacitated state.

"Enemy down...! Let's move!" Richard exclaimed, as the others continued to move, until they were in sight of the enemy camp, where the rest of the Imperial forces were.

"The alleys are clear. Move now!" Reisen cried, as everyone prepared to advance. However, just as they were, the Imperial light tank, that was stationed at the base, then immediately began to move towards where the group were. "No, wait! The tank's coming your way! Everyone take cover!"

The light tank then made contact with the building that was blocking its way, as it trudged through the walls, out of the other side without any problems, surprising the other team.

"Gah! Damn tank's busted right through the stinkin' wall!" Largo exclaimed, before he then lowered his weapon to fire. "Well, it's my turn now! Stick this in your pipe and smoke it!"

"Oh, no you don't! This one's mine, big guy!" Marisa shouted, as she then heaved her Lance up, as she was in good view of the glowing radiator, the weak-point of the tank. "Time to go BOOM!"

She then fired the Lance, as the mounted-rocket immediately punched right into the radiator plates, into the radiator itself, before exploding with its payload, causing the light tank to fly up into the air slightly, before it then fell down, as the tank was completely destroyed from the inside, as smoke poured from the wreck, and metal pieces of the tank's body scattered everywhere.

"WOO! Score one for me!" Marisa cheered, as Largo was stunned for a moment at how Marisa managed to take out the tank before he could.

"Looks like we got a new way through... Don't take it though, the Imperials are most certainly looking our way now, since their tank exploded." Reisen stated.

"Then we'll push through and give them something to be really afraid about!" Sanae boldly exclaimed. "Come on, let's take the rest of them out!"

"Sally... Right! Both teams, initiate a pincer attack on the enemy! Don't hold back against them!" Welkin commanded.

Everyone acknowledged the order, as they immediately advanced, as Rosie and Richard moved up close, dodging through the hail of bullets coming their way, as they returned fire.

"Ain't no stopping me now!" Rosie roared, as she then used a burst of machine-gun fire to take out another one of the enemies.

"I won't back down against all of you!" Richard cried, as he fired off at every enemy within his sight, as they were forced into cover.

Sanae and Gus immediately rushed in, as they fired off their rifles to take down the enemies behind the cover, as they were exposed on the other side. Reisen also contributed to the battle, as she fired her sniper rifle again and again, until she was sure that there was no-one in her range that she could target.

Largo then moved up to where the banner of the Imperial Camp was, as he then lowered the banner, and tore the Imperial banner of it, and replacing it with the blue, red and white Gallian banner.

"Operation complete! We took their base!" Welkin exclaimed, as Richard's group and Alicia cheered in victory.

"Good job, every one of you! We managed to push back the enemy forces, even only slightly!" Richard praised everyone. "Especially you, Rosie!"

* * *

_After a few moments, as Squad 7 moved into the inner city..._

Welkin, Alicia, and Richard were having a conversation, as Welkin was standing on top of the Edelweiss.

"So... I guess that this first operation worked in success." Richard stated, as he smiled. "I'm glad that we managed to make it through without any causalities. I guess after having fought for so long with the Imperials, we're pretty battle-experienced."

"Yeah, I'm surprised that Mari managed to take down that Light Tank from a considerable distance away." Alicia responded back. "Lances aren't known for their accuracy, especially in their current models. I hope that there might be a way to improve the accuracy eventually..."

"Yeah, I hope. The only reason that Mari can even wield that thing well, is because she's accustomed to carrying heavy things from time to time, and she mostly used lances to take out the armoured troops that may try to pursue us." Richard said, before he placed a hand behind his head. "So... I guess that's why she can even aim that thing well?"

"Right now, I doubt that our fight is over yet. The Gallian army is still engaging the Imperial invasion force here." Welkin stated. "So we should be prepared for another battle. Who knows when it might come?"

"Yeah..." Alicia muttered.

Suddenly, there was the sound of a camera shutter clicking, as it was accompanied by a chippy female voice. "Hey there!" The voice said. "You guys aren't with Squad 7 by any chance are you?"

They all turned around to see a woman with curly blonde hair, a green patterned wool beanie on her head, teal eyes behind glasses, a short white coat covering her chest, faded green pants, black shoes and gloves with white woolen insides, as well as a modernistic camera in her hands.

"Yes, that's us." Alicia stated back.

"Ha ha... bingo!" The woman spoke with a cheerful tone. "I've been looking for ya... meaning you! Hot stuff, on the tank."

Welkin was surprised to be called 'hot stuff' by the newcomer, as he pointed at himself. "Me?" He asked, confused.

"Mhm." She hummed back, before she walked up, as Richard and Alicia moved aside for her, although Alicia looked at the woman with a glare.

"Um, excuse me, I..." Alicia tried to tell her.

"That must make you Lieutenant Gunther, am I right?" The woman asked Welkin.

"Um, yeah. Yes, that's me." Welkin responded back with a worried tone, before he then saw that the woman was climbing up onto the Edelweiss.

"Upsy-daisy..." The woman groaned, before she stood up.

"Wha-!? Hey, you can't-" Welkin tried to warn her.

"Nice to meet you, too." The woman replied to Welkin, as she had a notebook in her hands. "Now, let's get right to the questions. So, you're the son of the great General Gunther, huh? You look awfully young. How old are you anyway? Must be your first war, huh? What's been your hardest experience so far? Wait, happiest? No, uh funniest?"

Welkin stepped back slightly, as the female reporter was moving up closer to him step-by-step, as he was slightly stuttering the words 'Um...' and 'I...'

"I'd also like to know hobbies, favourite foods... What you do on your days off." The reporter continued.

"Hey, lady! This is a combat zone!" Alicia harshly exclaimed to the woman. "Excuse me, but what are you doing here, anyway?"

"Hey, give me a break, will you!" The woman scoffed, crossing her arms. "Scoops are near danger, and I'm near scoops. That's right. The name's Ellet. I'm GBS Radio's top woman reporter. I smell a good story, and you guys are it!"

"Us?" Richard asked, pointing at himself.

"So you... you're a reporter." Welkin stated.

"Very good. I'm a reporter, yes. I've been assigned to Squad 7 to conduct a series of interviews, thank you." Irene responded back to Welkin.

"Now, let's get back to those questions, shall we? Especially with your friend over here." Welkin stated.

Alicia sighed, as Richard tensed up.

"I... I don't feel comfortable being here anymore." Richard responded back, as he made to leave. "Excuse me, Welkin and Alicia..."

Welkin tried to say something to him, but Irene was pelting him with questions. As Richard made his way out, he passed by Largo and Rosie, as they watched the affair from afar.

"Ugh. Now, he's giving interviews? Who does he think he is?" Rosie growled, as it caused Richard to stop in his tracks. "Ooh, look at him, son of some great hero. Please! He's still a schoolboy!"

"No kidding..." Largo nodded, as he placed a lit cigarette to his lips, before he huffed out some smoke. "One little win and he's the new grand duke. Ugh. I hate kids. Eh, whatever. He'll learn soon enough. Only one thing matters out there in the field, and that's experience."

Richard clenched his fists tightly, before he then walked away from the duo of soldiers, albeit slightly quicker and more agitated in his footsteps.

* * *

_After a brief moment of rest, in the briefing room of the Gallian militia camp..._

"...Squad 7's suppression of the enemy camp on the west bank gave us the foothold we needed." Varrot stated. "Now we'll join the army's Vasel Batallion in Operation Cloudburst to take back the bridge. Militia forces will take point, crossing the bridge and attacking the enemy camp."

"Captain, crossing that bridge means breaching the enemy bridgehead." Faldio argued back. "What sort of on-site backup and supplies can we expect from the army on this?"

"The plan calls for the army to commence its operation after we've struck the bridgehead." Varrot answered bluntly.

"Wait a minute... So we're just being offered up on a platter!?" Faldio asked, outraged by the information.

"I know how you feel. I felt that way when I was a militia foot soldier, too. But sometimes being a soldier means taking on tough missions. Even dangerous ones that risk your life to achieve." Varrot replied back with a slightly sympathetic tone.

"...Understood, Captain." Faldio muttered back with a depressed tone.

"I'm not saying you're wrong, Faldio. Breaching that bridgehead by ourselves is... It's going to be tough." Varrot tried to assure Faldio.

"Captain Varrot, may I go observe the area around the bridge?" Welkin asked.

"Observe it?" Varrot questioned back, turning to Welkin. "I don't mind, but what do you have-"

Before Varrot could finish, Gus and Alicia burst through the tent doors, as they seemed to be urgently distressed.

"Welkin!/Lieutenant!" Alicia and Gus cried respectively.

"Sergeant Melchiott, Private First Grade Teller. What is it?" Varrot inquired them both.

"Captain Varrot! Sorry... we had no idea that there was a meeting here right now... But-" Gus frantically responded back.

"We're finished, it's fine. Now I assume that there's a reason for your visit, the both of you?" Varrot asked.

"Welkin, ah, I mean, Lieutenant Gunther... The squad... they're are at each other's throats!" Alicia stated. "Please stop them, sir. I tried to, but they... I couldn't stop them..."

"You want me to break it up?" Welkin asked. "I don't know... Maybe it'd be better to just let them have it out."

"Please... Lieutenant... Rain is involved in the conflict... And he's... He's...!" Gus begged, before he then grabbed Welkin by the shoulder. "He's being assaulted by Rosie! And if you don't break it up... He'll be in serious danger!"

"What!?" Welkin exclaimed, hearing that the conflict has worsened to the point that blows were exchanged, as his attitude changed to one of shock. "Alicia, Gus, take me to where they are all right now!"

"They're close to the camp itself." Gus stated. "This way!"

"Now, get a move on!..." Alicia exclaimed, as she paused for a moment, stopping herself from calling Welkin out by name. "...Sir! This isn't even something that you can ignore now!"

"Alicia... Right, I'm coming." Welkin stated, as they all jogged out of the briefing room.

"Sounds like he's got his hands full. And considering the situation from his squad-mate's accounts. It's not a pretty thing that he's tangled with..." Faldio remarked.

"It's all part of growing as a team." Varrot responded back.

* * *

_By the riverside..._

Richard fell down to the ground with a thud, as there was blood leaking from his mouth, possibly from bleeding inside of it, or from a burst lip, and his face was slightly bruised. He then slowly got up, as he faced a livid Rosie in front of him, giving her a silent glare. Rosie was breathing heavily, as her hands were clenched into fists, as they were slightly drenched in Richard's blood.

"I'll rip those buns of your hair, you damn sow!" Marisa screamed with fury, as she was being restrained by Sanae and Reisen, who were holding her arms in place, although they were having difficulties to stop the raging witch in disguise. "When I get to you, I'm going to smash that smug face of yours in!"

"Mari! Calm down! Rain's already told you to stay out of this many times already!" Sanae cried back, as she flinched slightly when Marisa throttled forward again.

"There's no point in stopping this. Rain chose this on his own volition." Reisen stated. "Rain won't back down until Rosie has finished venting her own inner rage onto him."

Isara was left horrified at the side, as Rosie floored Richard again with a furious punch to the gut, that made him cough out a mixture of spit and blood that spattered onto the ground in front of him. Again, Richard stood up, and kept his eyes locked with Rosie's. Largo was left with a mixture of emotions, varying between shock, respect, and calmness, as the cigar in his mouth still burned.

"Hold on!" Welkin cried afar, as everyone turned to see Alicia and Gus come back with Welkin, running down to them.

Rosie scoffed, as she let her arms fall by her sides, as Richard slowly turned around, clutching his gut in pain.

"Okay, what's going on here?" Welkin asked with a authoritative tone, before he turned to Richard. "What is this... What did Rosie do to you, Rain?"

"This doesn't involve you, Welkin..." Richard grunted back with a strained tone, and a irritated expression on his face, as he then faced Gus. "I told you... to stay out of this, Gus!"

"I refuse!" Gus strongly rejected back. "Doing this won't change anything, Rain!"

"Doing this is the only way that Rosie will learn to cope with us Darcsens!" Richard shouted back, with a series of coughs afterwards. "If she hates Darcsens so much, then why would you deny her the moment to vent her anger on someone who can take it!? Isara doesn't deserve this kind of hate, so I'll take it in her place, and nothing will convince me otherwise...!"

"Isara?" Welkin asked her shocked sister, before he then noticed that Marisa was still restrained by Reisen and Sanae. "Mari... What happened here?"

"I'll tell you what happened! That stuck-up bitch actually hit Rain over and over again!" Marisa shouted back with violent anger, as she tried to shake out of the hold. "She struck him enough to cause him to bleed, and that was not enough for her!"

"What Mari was trying to say, is that Rosie was threatening Isara." Reisen offered to explain, as she grunted while trying to keep Marisa restrained in her hold. "Rain saw this happening, and he intervened. There was a few words exchanged, until Rain told her that he was a Darcsen as well. That didn't seem to sit well with Rosie, as she was left betrayed and shocked. Then when Rain told her about what had happened in her past, she literally flew into rage herself, as she punched him over and over again. Rain didn't do anything to stop it. In fact, if you have heard what Rain said, Rain was letting her do this, because he wanted to let her vent her inner hatred onto... Well, you heard what he said."

"Rosie... What is the meaning of this...!?" Welkin demanded with a heated tone.

"You really have to ask, Lieutenant?" Rosie spat back in a bitter tone. "It's either them or us, pal! Who let them in, anyway? You really think I'm going to work with Darcsens like them!?"

She then threw her hands out, pointing at Isara then Richard. "I can't believe that you placed me with a Darcsen like him with me, without my knowledge of it. He'll end up getting us all killed because of his bad luck, and she'll blow us all up! Besides, I can't stand the damned look on his face, or the stink of them! Their type got a bad reputation and everyone knows it. No Darcsens allow. Ya hear me, Lieutenant!?"

"It's true that our reputation sucks, since we were the ones whose ancestors literally were bloodthirsty warmongers without the definition of peace." Richard responded back. "But you can't judge all of us, by our past actions, and as a collective...! I'm not going to argue that the 'Darcsen Calamity' existed or not... All I care is that as a modern Darcsen, it's my duty to atone for their criminal actions, by fighting for the sake of a unified country..."

"Still, you spew that god-awful drivel!?" Rosie roared at Richard, as she raised her fist again. "I ain't believing that bull for a second, from a lying bastard like you!"

"I lied to spare your feelings, Rosie..." Richard argued back. "I know it was our fault that the Imperial forces wiped your village out, in search of us. You didn't deserve to have your peaceful life taken away by our presence. So because your hate stems from us... Hit me, break me, let out all your rage towards your race to me. I won't fight back, or beg for forgiveness and mercy. All I want from you is that you'll eventually be able to turn your hatred of us into your own personal motivation to fight."

"SHUT UP!" Rosie shouted, as she then prepared to deck Richard again with a hook, before Welkin moved forward to catch it with his open hand.

"Stop it! That's enough! Rosie, if you continue, I will have you reported for the offence of relentless assault of fellow squadmates!" Welkin harshly warned Rosie.

"Screw your reports! The only reason I've been listening to you, is because I'm a part of this squad, no matter what situation comes, even if it's from a freshly-brought in commander like you!" Rosie retorted back.

"Welkin is most definitely not inexperienced in combat-" Alicia tried to argue, before Largo sighed, as he took the cigar out of his mouth.

"Okay, boss-man. We won't fight alongside no Darcsen. What about that can't you understand?" He asked Welkin, before he flicked the cigarette into the water, where it was doused. "Another thing is we ain't doing is taking orders from some hotshot greenhorn. You got that-"

Largo soon found his collar being pulled down, as he then saw that Richard came over to him, and used a lot of strength to drag his head down to his eye-level. Instead of burning determination, he found himself in a glare filled with bitingly-cold hostility.

"Don't call Welkin a greenhorn." Richard coldly responded back to Largo with a low voice. "Welkin was there in the battle of Bruhl, where he managed to save much more lives than he could possibly have, with such little soldiers in his assistance. If it wasn't for him, me and my friends would have never made it out. So, please Largo Potter, I'd watch what you say."

Largo didn't even respond, without a reply to Richard's words, although he silently looked into Richard's eyes without any change of expression. Richard eventually let go of Largo, although his eyes were still glaring at the lancer veteran.

"I'll make this clear for you two. I can tolerate you, Rosie, for holding a grudge against us Darcsens, since it's closely personal, and as long as we make damage control of it, it won't cause much problems. So long as I stay out of the active roster, you could care less about the matter." Richard continued, before he then jabbed a finger into Largo's bulky chest. "But I will not have you insult Welkin's potential as a leader. He has inherited the talent for strategy and cunning like his father, the general. Captain Varrot saw that in him, after his performance in the Defence of Bruhl, which is why he's commanding officer. You don't like the leadership, complain to the Captain. She was the one who placed him in this position, so if you refuse to work under him, that's another charge of insubordination to your current list of offences. Surely that you won't question the Captain, who is far less forgiving than what Welkin is right now. So, what will it be, your distrust of Welkin, or your reputation and honour as soldiers?"

Rosie, although infuriated by Richard's words, kept silent and considered the words, as did Largo. Welkin then walked up, as he seemed to have a plan in mind.

"Alright fine. Now listen and listen good." Welkin said with a serious tone, pointing at the bridge of the city in the distance. "I'll have that bridge in Gallia's hands in 48 hours. Now, if my plan fails, which I doubt, then I'll resign... Squad 7 will be yours, Largo. But if my plan works, you'll take my orders and like it, from now on. The Captain's decision and faith in me will be proven, and you'll have no right to question it."

"Welkin, there's no need to make such a bet-" Richard argued.

Largo barked with deep laughter, before he then gave Welkin a serious look. "Your funeral, boss-man. You sure about this?" He asked the young commanding officer.

"Yes, I am." Welkin nodded slowly.

"Heh. Fine by me. We'll see what kind of cooked-up plan you'll have in store for us, to get that bridge in our control." Largo stated with amusement. "Come on, Rosie. Let's wait until our commander has some sort of plan, whether it may be stupid or unreliable."

Rosie and Largo then left, walking past the group, but not before Rosie glared at Richard and Isara for a moment, before continuing.

"Welkin! You just made an insane promise!" Alicia cried, as she moved in front of Welkin, with a outraged expression. "What are you thinking!?"

"I'm sorry, Welks. I shouldn't have tried to bring Rain into this..." Isara apologised. "This is all my fault for showing myself in front of them... And Rain ended up..."

"Don't say that." Richard replied back, as he walked up and placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort, as his eyes gave off a soft look in them. "I don't blame Rosie for hating us so much. I just wanted to see if she would be able to see past her own misguided vengeance... The war didn't do much to help fix that problem of hers..."

"This mission isn't helping either. It's little wonder the troops are likely to be upset." Welkin reasoned as well.

"Yeah..." Alicia trailed off with a slightly dim tone.

Reisen and Sanae noticed that it was a safe moment to let Marisa go, as they unwrapped themselves from her arms. Marisa tugged free without any problems, as she rubbed her sore arms, which were made that way due to how tight the grip of her teammates were.

"Psh... Like that's grounds to act like that. Next time that upstart prick tries to pick a fight with one of us, I'll make sure that she gets her share of beatings..." Marisa threatened.

"Calm down, Mari... I think that Rain's method, although questionable, did seem to have some effect." Sanae tried to calm Marisa down.

"That's why pulling this operation off is the perfect way to bring the squad together." Welkin said.

"That'd be great, if it works..." Alicia answered back. "But how can you possibly hope to take back the bridge in just 48 hours?"

"Well, that's the hard part-" Welkin was about to say, before he then spied a formation of plants by the riverside, which managed to cause him to have an idea. "Aha...!"

"Huh? Aha what?" Alicia asked.

"I was hoping. But, there they are..." Welkin sighed, before he turned to the group. "Isara, Alicia, think you can do me a favour?"

"Sure, what is it?" Alicia replied back, before Welkin beckoned her and Isara to come closer.

He then whispered something in their ears, which the others couldn't pick up clearly, except for Reisen, who retained her enhanced hearing, despite losing her rabbit ears.

"_So, we will need to cross over the river... We can take down the Imperial Forces stationed on the other side, in the cover of fog..." _Welkin whispered into both of their ears. "_The Edelweiss will be the first to cross, as it was run down through the river. I noticed that there are patches of mistlereed on the shores of the river, so all we have to do is fit it with water-resistant measures. You should be able to take care of that, Is. Afterwards, I'll send a signal flare into the air, ordering the rest of the team to move across the river by boat. We'll take the east encampment, and siege the enemy bridgehead from where they won't expect it._"

"But that's... Is that even possible!?" Alicia exclaimed.

"Well, Is? Think you can make it by tomorrow?" Welkin asked.

"Yes. I'll get to work on it now." Isara answered back.

"...All right. I'll trust you on this." Alicia nodded in agreement.

"Thanks, Alicia. Well, let's get started then." Welkin stated.

"What are you all talking about?" Richard asked the three of them. "Have you made a reliable plan that we can follow, Lieutenant Welkin?"

"Yeah." Welkin responded back with a nod. "By the way, Rain... You should get those injuries of yours checked. I will need you for tomorrow, with us in the Edelweiss."

"Ah, this is nothing. I've been beaten worse when I was younger, and I've had worse injuries than this, while we wandered the country, raiding the Imperial forces wherever we went." Richard tried to downplay his injuries. "Still, sounds like that you won't be marching out until tomorrow morning then. I'll get myself checked by a medic, and then spend the time recuperating myself in R&R. Come on, guys. Let's take some time off, until our next sortie comes."

Richard then turned around, as he then walked away, before he then fell down the ground with a thud, letting out a dull 'Ow.' as he landed. Gus and Sanae rushed over, concerned about their friend.

"Are you okay, Rain? You look like that you've been beaten hard enough to lose your sense of balance." Sanae asked Richard with a caring tone.

"Yeah, just lost it when I literally used all I had to hold Largo by the collar before." Richard responded back with a smile, before he winced. "But damn, Rosie punches quite hard for someone of her stature. I'd hope that I won't have to let her beat me again, to get my point through to her."

"Right then. Up you get." Gus stated, as he then picked up Richard, slinging him around his shoulder. "We'll take you to the medic to get patched up. Lieutenant, I hope that nothing as eventful for this happens again... We need some time alone."

Gus and the others left, with Richard in tow. After a few moments of silence, Isara, Welkin and Alicia went their own ways, preparing for the next day.

* * *

_The next day..._

"All right. Let's hear this brilliant plan of yours. And it's too late to back out, boss-man. You got that? So let's hear it." Largo asked Welkin, who was here with the group, as Richard looked like that he completely recovered from last day's injuries.

"We're going to strike the enemy encampment on the east bank." Welkin declared.

"Whoa, hold it. You're asking us to die for you!?" Rosie exclaimed with disbelief. "One squad ain't breaching that bridgehead, buddy boy! That would be suicide!"

"Oh, shut up." Marisa growled back, earning Rosie's unamused glare.

"We're not taking the bridgehead. We're taking on this. The river." Welkin gestured to the wide river, as there was fog over it. "We use the fog as cover, as we cross the river, then launch a surprise attack."

"Aww, c'mon. Is this just some game to you, boy-o?" Largo retorted back with a disappointed tone. "Swimming a couple of foot soldiers over there ain't going to do much if we've got no tanks."

"Don't worry. I've got that covered. Isara?" Welkin stated, turning to Isara beside him.

"I've fitted the Edelweiss with water-resistant measures to allow for limited periods of submersion." Isara explained. "It will only hold for a few minutes, but it should be enough time to cross safely."

"Hold on just a sec. Ships come through here! It's gotta be too deep for a tank like yours!" Largo argued back in shock.

"We're covered. Look, see that over there?" Welkin asked, pointing at the patches of mistlereed on the river shores.

"What's that? Some sort of grass?" Rosie questioned back, looking at the river-grass, with confusion.

"Mistlereed. A tall aquatic plant found in estuaries of some rivers. I noticed them when I came down to observe the river. This stretch runs shallow." Welkin further elaborated his plans. "Shallow enough for a tank to drive across. Trust me on this."

Largo was left speechless, as he didn't even say anything, as Alicia stepped up to talk.

"First, the Edelweiss will cross over and clear out any Imperial patrols on the shore." Alicia detailed the steps of the plan. "Then Lieutenant Gunther will send up a flare, signalling the rest of us to follow by boat."

"Right. Now, let's get started. I'll see you on the other side." Welkin stated, as he, Richard and Isara made for the Edelweiss.

Richard made sure to tightly seal the top hatch shut, to prevent any water leakage from it. "It's secure." He told them both. "We're ready to move. When we reach the other side, I'll gun down the enemies in the vicinity, before I take the gunner's porch, and use the mounted machine-gun to take out the rest of the patrols."

"Right, start up the Edelweiss, Isara." Welkin stated, as the young Darcsen girl immediately ignited the tank's engine, as it purred to life quickly.

The Edelweiss then moved into the river-bank, as the periscope then dived into the slightly murky waters with the main body of the tank. Richard and Welkin looked around for any leaks, although they didn't find any.

"I guess that the water-resistant adjustments are holding up so far." Richard remarked. "How long until we surface out on the other side?"

"We should be there..." Isara muttered, before the periscope broke out of the water, as it spotted two startled Imperial soldiers, who were patrolling the riverside, as they rolled out of the tank's way. "...now!"

"Right, time to take care of the enemies here!" Richard exclaimed, as he popped the top hatch of the Edelweiss open, just as the tank swerved around and skidded to a halt. He then fired his weapon at the prone soldiers, as they stood no chance of evading Richard's shots, dispatching them cleanly. "They're down."

He then jumped off from the top of the tank, as he then landed beside the tank, with his weapon up, as he scanned around for any Imperial soldier nearby. When he found none, he then turned back to the tank to holler 'All clear!' to Welkin, who came out the top of the tank, holding the pass-me-down flaregun in his hands.

"Phew..." Welkin huffed in relief, before he then looked at the flaregun and then pointed it up. "The Edelweiss swims just fine!"

He then fired off the flare-gun, as a billowing yellow flare shot out of it, into the air. After a few moments, the rest of the team came across on the boats, as they hopped out of their aquatic vehicles. They consisted of Rosie, Largo, Sanae, Gus, Reisen and Marisa, who moved to regroup with the Edelweiss.

"Alright, that's everyone. Ready to move out, squad?" Welkin asked.

"You're crazy. You know that, right?" Largo sighed.

"Incoming message from Squad 1 leader, Faldio Landzaat on the west bank, sir." Isara announced a message to Welkin. "Enemy company in motion, presumed headed east across the bridge towards our position."

"A full company? That's bad news for us..." Alicia stated with a worried tone.

"How long does the enemy have until they finish their crossing?" Richard asked, as he hopped into the gunner's porch.

"They say that 10 minutes will be all it will take." Isara responded to Richard's question.

"Then we'll have to move fast. We're taking their camp before the cavalry moves in!" Welkin exclaimed. "All units, advance with caution, split into smaller teams to search every location for enemies. The Edelweiss will draw enemy fire, to allow the rest of you to advance safely."

"Don't worry... We'll have your backs covered." Richard assured everyone.

"Tch." Rosie clicked her tongue, as she then advanced down one of the streets, as she managed to see a base that was being surrounded by inactive light tanks, as well as a Imperial Scout, who was patrolling around it.

She then fired at the Scout, tearing them down with a burst of shots, leaving only a few bullets in the clip. After taking down her enemy, she immediately fired at the container of ragnite that was nearby one of the tanks, as a shot managed to penetrate the protection, causing a large blue explosion of energy that blew the light tank beside it to pieces.

"Moving up." Gus stated, as he moved up and took the enemy base, swapping the base banner for the Gallian banner. Afterwards, fearing that he may be shot by enemies in the exposed space, since the Ragnite explosion also took out all of the sandbag barricades that could be used for protective cover, he moved back to hide behind solid wall, just close enough to watch over the base, in case any Imperials tried to retake it.

Reisen then moved up, as she trekked up the nearest sniper tower she could find, before she climbed up it, managing to get a good view of the enemies from above. She then noticed that there was a red Imperial squad leader within her sights, as she didn't waste a moment to shoot them down with a shot to the head, before she then reloaded her rifle, and took down the sniper that was overlooking the base that Gus just took from afar, before using her last bullet in the clip to take down another Imperial soldier, who was planning to take the first base from them. After she emptied her clip, she descended from the sniper tower, and took the moment to reload her sniper rifle carefully.

The Edelweiss moved straight down the street, as Richard swept the machine-gun around to search for any hidden enemies to lure out with a rapid burst of gunfire. However, no-one was within sight, as he just maintained vigilance for ambushes.

The rest of the team moved up, as Largo and Marisa lagged behind slightly, moving for cover, while Sanae moved forward, as she stopped behind the wall, beside Rosie.

When Gus peeked his head out to check for enemies, he was surprised to see that a sniper shot was fired at him, as he snapped back to cover, as bullet met the plaster with hard force.

"Remy, we got another sniper. I think he's on one of the taller building ahead of us." Gus informed the team's sniper.

"Got it, standby, while I take them down." Reisen responded back, as she finished reloading, climbing back up the sniper tower, before she then looked around for the target, before she saw them on the roof of a building. "How foolish... I have a height advantage here. You're good as dead now."

She then fired off a shot to the head that dispatched the sniper. "You're clear." She declared, as she saw the enemy sniper fall down dead.

The rest of the team moved, as the group managed to find another camp, while everyone took the chance to shoot any Ragnite containers they could find, as they dispatched the inactive Imperial tanks in their way, with a precise bullet into the unstable canisters of chemical energy. They soon managed to find another camp, which was protected by a Imperial Lancer.

Unluckily for them, Rosie was the first to reach them, as she blew their head with enough holes to consider it as human swiss cheese, through the soft metal helmet on the head. Sanae was the one to take the camp, as she didn't miss the opportunity to flourish a little, as she did a v-sign while capturing the base. Everyone took cover behind the sandbags surrounding the base.

When they waited for enemy fire to come their way, they were greeted instead by a tank cannon firing, as the shot managed to impact the broken building wall obstructing its view.

"Woah, we got live Imperial tanks ahead of us!" Sanae remarked, before they could hear the whirring sounds of tank treads coming their way.

"Looks like it's time to shine, eh?" Marisa remarked, as she looked in Largo's direction, loading her Lance with its rocket ammo.

"Going to take more than a few tanks to faze us at this point, when we have good cover." Largo added.

"You're already past the point where I can cover you." Reisen stated, as she descended from the sniper tower. "I'll move up, and see if I can find any more vantage points to snipe from."

The Edelweiss then advanced, as it moved around the impassable pile of rubble blocking the access to the rest of the streets, as it came up to the same wall that was shot at by the Imperial light-tank from before.

"We'll take that wall down." Welkin stated, as the tank cannon fired off its payload onto the wall, blowing it and showing a line of tanks that had Ragnite containers beside them, each within range of each other to trigger a chain reaction

"I got this." Richard stated, as he fired off his mounted machine-gun at the first container in the line, as they exploded one by one, taking out most of the tanks, and leaving the live Imperial tank in the area severely damaged as a result. "Uh-oh, I think that we didn't finish the one that mattered... Welkin, load that cannon quick!"

"Already on it! The second shot should be ready to fire!" Isara shouted to both Welkin and Richard.

"Fire!" Welkin ordered, as the tank cannon fired a second time, finishing off the weakened tank. "Good job, both of you."

"Nah, we managed to get a good thing going so far." Richard stated. "Now then, we should-"

"Come in, alpha camp. Alpha camp, respond. We heard gunshots. Report your status!" A Imperial soldier reported through the tank comms.

"Welks, I've intercepted an enemy transmission." Isara informed Welkin.

"There's nobody left at their camp to respond, now that we've cleared it out." Welkin responded back. "This is bad... It's only a matter of time before they send in reinforcements now."

"Let me..." Richard stated, as he then hopped into the tank itself, before moving towards where Isara was, and then using the tank speaker to substitute for a walkie-talkie. "This is Alpha camp. The sound of gunshots was us engaging the Gallian forces. We managed to force them into retreat. Condition green. We're still fine."

"Understood. Well, you guys keep the fires lit until it's time for our shift. Over and out." The imperial soldier replied back, as the comms crackled out.

"Managed to fool them... Sorry for butting in, but I think that should keep them blind for a few moments." Richard muttered.

"That was amazing, both of you! Catching the communications, Is, and fast-talking them out of the situation, Rain... We sure saved ourselves some heat." Welkin praised both of them.

"Thanks, but their worry means we should make it double-time to the enemy main-camp. They might call reinforcements at this rate, so we need to hurry."

"Right, all units, advance quickly." Welkin ordered everyone.

Just as the order came through, two Imperial tanks appeared around the corners from both sides of the base, as one of them managed to get in range, as it fired off a mortar shell into the base.

"Mortar! Dodge!" Gus cried, as everyone immediately dashed out, although Alicia, Gus and Sanae were hit by the shell's blast, being sent flying, as they skidded across the ground in different directions, all of them groaning as they stood up.

"Are you alright, Alicia!? Gus!? Sally!?" Welkin frantically asked. "Respond to me?"

"...Ugh... We're fine. The blast shook us up badly." Gus groaned back.

"Yeah, same here." Alicia added.

Sanae's response was a series of dazed sounds from her mouth, before she then shook herself to get back to normal.

Marisa then moved around the tank, as she withstood the several mounted machine-gun bullets coming her way, as she moved around to face the exposed radiator places.

"Oh, how a certain 'someone' would be familiar with this kind of procedure." Marisa quipped. "Ah well, fire in the hole, tank-boys!"

She then blew the tank with a direct hit to the radiator, as she spun the lance in her hands, before setting it down. "Just the way I like it." Marisa stated. "Like a real powerful blast."

Largo immediately took the other tank, as he blew up the other light tank with a shot to the radiator. "All right!" Largo exclaimed. "Tanks are down."

"Good, we're moving." Welkin responded back, as the Edelweiss cut through where the former tank parking grounds were, as Richard fired on any Imperial soldier who was foolish enough to hide behind open ground, as they were torn apart with each burst of gunfire.

The Edelweiss's comms immediately acted up again, as they picked up enemy communications.

"...Damn it, feed me misinformation, huh? I want every man we have our there on the double! Bring me those Gallian heads, NOW!" A imperial officer barked out.

"Well, so much for avoiding calls for reinforcements." Richard sighed. "They know what's going on now."

"But we have the main camp surrounded either way." Gus added. "Lieutenant, what's the orders now?"

"We can't afford to delay the base's capture any longer." Welkin stated. "All units, launch a full-offensive on my mark!"

"Ready when you are." Marisa replied back with a anticipating tone.

"Remy here, I managed to find an vantage point overlooking the enemy main base. I'll start firing when you rush in." Reisen tuned in as well.

"Take down all down in one charge? Heh, this is a piece of cake, as long as the tank's taken care of, by all of you." Rosie scoffed with a prideful smirk.

"Right then... Beginning assault in 3... 2... 1..." Welkin counted down, before the Edelweiss then fired off a shot that make contact with the only Imperial light tank in the area, that was guarding the base, as it rocked slightly. "GO!"

Marisa and Largo prepped their lances, as they fired off two shots into the body of the tank, which was enough to destroy it, causing the nearby forces to panic on the sight, while Rosie, Alicia and Gus rushed in, guns blazing. When they were locked on by a Imperial soldier, Reisen would immediately intercept them with a shot to the head before their fingers could even press against the trigger of their weapon.

"What... What the!? What is-" The enemy officer tried to blurt out, before he screamed, as he was cut to pieces by MG-fire from the Edelweiss. Richard then dismounted from the gunner's porch, as he personally went over to the base, and captured it himself.

"Mission complete, Lieutenant." Richard saluted towards the Edelweiss, and Welkin in it.

"Nice work! We've occupied the enemy encampment at the bridge's end." Welkin said.

"That should allow us uncontested access to the drawbridge control room." Isara noted, as she then exited the tank, and entered the drawbridge control room just ahead of the main base.

"Excellent. Open it up, Is. Let's see how their tanks like the river." Welkin instructed.

"Yes, sir!" Isara stated, before there was a thrumming sound coming from her end of the communication. "Ragnite turbines on! Stand by to raise drawbridge!"

"I'll observe the results." Reisen stated, as she used the sniper's scope to get a good look at the bridge itself. From her view, she could see the Imperial forces struggling to escape the raising drawbridge, as the tanks slid off the open ends of the bisecting bridge, as machine and man landed into the river with a cacophony of plops. "It looks like the bridgehead force has been dispatched, in a amusing way!"

"Yahoo! Take that, you Imperial bastards!" Marisa exclaimed.

"We should head back to base now. Captain Varrot would be interested in a report from us about how we managed to turn the situation for the army." Welkin stated.

* * *

_Back at the Gallian base..._

"It appears that Lieutenant Gunther's plan worked. An impressive start, soldier." Varrot complimented Welkin.

"Thank you, Captain. I'm glad to get some credit, even though I didn't need any of it." Welkin thanked his superior.

"That kid's crazy! Drove a damn tank into the stinking river!" Largo shouted in disbelief.

"Yeah, and I can't believe that it actually worked. I'm still in shock." Rosie responded back to her squadmate. "I'm still in shock."

"All right, you two! Now hold up your side of the bargain and you listen to Welkin." Alicia came in, interrupting both of them.

"Feh... Yeah, yeah." Largo sighed, as he walked away with a defeated expression.

"The kid might got the chops to command, but that don't mean I gotta like any dark-hairs." Rosie answered back, as she stomped away, before Richard walked up to her. "What do you want, dark-hair?"

"A congratulations for a job well done. You did pretty well out there, and helped my friends along." Richard stated with a friendly tone, as he put out a hand with a smile. "Come on, you deserve some praise from me for what you have done. Thanks a lot, Rosie."

For a moment, Richard could see the astonishment in Rosie's eyes, before it disappeared just as quickly, keeping the bitter look in her eyes, as she slapped his hand away harshly. "No I DON'T." Rosie growled back, as she pushed past Richard.

"Hey! Come on, that's just-" Alicia exclaimed, offended by Rosie's sore attitude towards Richard.

"It's okay, Alicia. I won't care about her actions, as long as she doesn't end up causing problems with this hate of hers." Richard assured Alicia, before he looked at his hand. "And besides, I think that I managed to soften her a little bit with my praise. So changing her isn't impossible as we would think after all."

They then noticed Irene with Gunther, as she was interviewing him about his latest victory. Gunther, still not accustomed with dealing with the pushy female reporter, did his best to keep himself composed.

"Anyway, I'll be preparing for the move back to Randgriz. I have a good idea for what we might do when we get back there, but it'll take some time to plan up a suggestion for Welkin." Richard told Alicia. "See you then?"

"See you then." Alicia stated. "I'll just go and take a walk around this town we just protected."

"Go do that. You deserved it, Alicia." Richard nodded, before they left in their own ways.

'_So far... Things are going well... They're putting more trust into me. And that's good, because I need it, if I'm going to make sure that Squad 7 won't likely die in the situation to come._' Richard thought to himself, as he left the area.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Raid on the Imperial Supply Base in the Kloden Wildwood

Response to reviews as always:

-As you might have noticed, Richard didn't actually get hurt too badly by his impulsive actions. After all, a day of recovery and a visit to the squad's medic fixed him up enough for battle. This should be a very good clue that Welkin will eventually remember, as it will be lampshaded on, when a certain event occurs.

-Trust me, the others are far from done with Rosie, after what they did to their friend, Rain. Out of all of them, Sanae is the more sympathetic of the four, as she knows that her past tragedies were involved, and knew also the fact that Richard let himself get beaten on his own volition. Reisen will turn a cold shoulder to Rosie, until she proves that she is better than her prejudices, and will refuse to even speak to Rosie in most occasions. Gus will try to convince Rosie to stop hating Darcsens so much, and tell her bluntly that if she keeps this up, then she may as well have worked without them, with far more reduced efficiency. She forgets, as he would say, that Welkin is the only one who has the tank here, and if she drives him away, then Squad 7 will be without the tank that they need to handle the later encounters. And to rub salt on the wound, the talents that Richard's group bring, will be useless, and they are most certainly going to the ones hurt, to lose soldiers who actually are far more experienced and battle-hardened than they let on. Marisa, oh, Marisa will be most harsh of them all. She will outright give Rosie the gut-punch she rightfully deserves, should she try to do the same thing again, and she will hostilely tell her that trust works both ways. If Rosie can't play nice, then she will be permanently benched, and be replaced by Rain as storm-trooper leader, even drummed out of Squad 7 entirely. Rosie won't take this lying down, but Marisa threatens to make it true, by all means. In fact, Marisa would even tear Rosie a new one, if she tried to pick a fight with them. Remember, Richard's group are stronger than they let on, so Richard was letting her vent her rage on him. In fact, out of all of the people, Marisa's relation with Rosie is going to be strained at the best, and will remain so, without anything close to a miracle. And no, 'that' event won't convince Marisa to change her view of Rosie. In fact, here's a little before-hand spolier of what Marisa would say.

_"You really think this makes it even...?" Marisa scoffed back with a uncaring glare in her eyes. "Just because you suddenly had a change of attitude, you would be forgiven by us? You forgot that you spent a long time distancing yourself to Rain, and mocking him behind his back. Do you think you deserve to have our forgiveness after all of that? Listen here, 'Rosie'. In no way in goddamned hell, will I ever find it within me to forgive you. You repeatedly looked down at my friend, and that is truly unforgivable. You can cry and beg all you want, but only Gus and Sally will buy in your little act. I sure don't care a single bit about your remorse, since you showed none with what you did with Rain. Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to meet up with a actual comrade._"

-About what Largo says, of course, Richard or Gus will remind him that he questioned Welkin before, especially on the specific grounds that Largo mentioned. Surely, Largo will be left shocked, and will actually be forced to reflect on his own actions.

-About what's the difference between the persona of 'Rain' and the actual Richard? That's for you to figure out yourself.

* * *

_In the training fields... _

"Get running, you lazy slobs!" Calvaro barked out viciously, at a group of storm-troopers, consisting from many different squads, including Squad 7 themselves. "If you can't move fast enough in the battlefield, then you're good as dead! So run, if you want to live for another moment of your barely existent lives!"

They were all doing a standard endurance sprint around the running track, as they were all decked with their standard gear, in order to get them accustomed to their gear. Several of the people were in the lead of the running group, including Rosie, Richard, and as well several members among Squad 7 who seemed to be more physically fit than the others. One of them was a young person who looked just around the same age as Richard, as he had a single-eyed google strapped over his right eye, dark brown hair that was parted in one direction, and yellow eyes, who was running beside Richard.

"Man, you've been running quite a while..." The person spoke with Richard, looking at him, as they both don't seem to be tired from the running. "How much did you train yourself when you were little?"

"Far more than what a normal child could possibly take." Richard responded back. "The town guard have strict requirements, and physique was one of the major ones. I trained everyday, so that I would able to build up the stamina and endurance to be a proper soldier. Turns out that after training for so long, a simple endurance sprint like this is nothing compared to what I went through."

"Really? That so?" The other Squad 7 member asked back with interest in his voice, as he smiled back widely. "Well, I'm glad to be able to met a guy like you, just as determined as myself, heh."

"That may be true, Vyse." Richard remarked back, as he had a smile on his lips as well, before he looked ahead. "I believe that I've still got a lot to improve, before I can become a exceptional soldier. Same goes for everyone here, and no different for you. Besides, you're a little too aggressive when it comes to charging. Running into gunfire is exhilarating as a experience, but not so much if it leaves you bleeding on the ground, in all honesty."

"What can I say? I love trouble, and I adore facing danger right in its face!" Vyse exclaimed back.

When the front group managed to catch up to the trainees lagging behind, Richard noticed that one of them, which Richard recognised as a member of Squad 7. He was a slightly plump and short man, with brown hair in a bowl-cut, and he was panting with his head down, as he crumpled on the ground.

"Oh, I can't do this..." He moaned. "I'm so tired..."

"Oi!" Richard cried, as he then ran towards the exhausted member. "You alright?"

"Rain... Sorry, I'm just... I feel so tired..." The slightly thick-bodied stormtrooper told Richard with a defeated tone.

"Don't say that. Look, just let me do this for you, Kevin." Richard responded back, before he then picked him up by under the shoulder, lifting the stormtrooper onto his feet. "Look, I'll do most of the running here for you. You did your best, right?"

"Yeah... But won't the Drill Sergeant call you out again?" Kevin asked Richard with worry.

"Ah, I can handle anything that harsh instructor can throw at me. I had one back in my days for town guard training. Now, let's get moving. Focus on matching your footsteps with mine, and we'll be able to get you moving. Feel free to inform me if you're done hitching a ride on me." Richard answered back.

Kevin nodded slightly, as he had a look of gratitude on his face.

"Seriously, Rain? You're doing this again?" Vyse remarked with a sigh. "You're going to have to lag behind, if you're going to carry him with you. He ain't going to be easy to run properly and carry him at the same time. I mean, I swear that you would do this for anyone who's too tired to run."

"Well, I rather help them keep running." Richard answered back. "You heard the Drill Sergeant. You're too slow, you're dead on the battlefield. But however, if you can't run fast enough, then let someone do the legwork for you. After all, living is more crucial than one's pride, wouldn't that be right? You go ahead, Vyse. I'll take care of myself."

"Heh. A heart of gold in you, Rain. I wonder if you actually are a part of the Darcsen lineage with your selfless actions." Vyse chuckled, before he then ran off.

Richard then picked up the pace, as he managed to catch up to the middle-group with a quick sprint, before slowing down to keep himself within the group.

Calvaro was silently observing the entire situation, as a slight smile appeared on his lips, hearing what Richard said.

"A soldier who refuses to leave anyone behind, huh..." Calvaro stated to himself. "Well, he looks like that he's currently capable of doing that for some people at the very least."

Suddenly, there was the sound of a alarm going off, accompanied by Sanae's yelp, which caught the drill sergeant's attention, as he walked over to where the engineers were training, as they were doing circuit training, working through various situations that they would be expected to encounter. Sanae was in the mine disarming section, as she failed to properly disarm the mine in her hands, as it let off a alarm to indicate that it would have exploded if it wasn't a fake one for training purpose.

"Sally Galewind, what do you think are you doing? Are you trying to get yourself blown up like a incompetent klutz!?" Calvaro roared, as Sanae shrunk back at the sergeant's forceful voice. "You'll do no favours by blowing yourself up trying to defuse a mine like a blind fool! Sacrificing yourself to take out a mine, is the WORST outcome for doing this!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I won't make the same mistake, Sergeant!" Sanae wailed back, as she then picked up another fake mine, as she reattempted her defusal of the mind, this time more carefully and precisely.

"You better not. I don't want to have it that your report marks you KIA for 'failed mine disarming'!" Calvaro shouted. "You're supposed to be leading these maggots, as a slightly better one, so get to it!"

Sanae nodded furiously, as she continued her work. When he turned around, he saw that Welkin came in himself.

"Hello, sergeant. How goes the training?" Welkin asked the hellishly-strict instructor.

"Heh. Those maggots you call Squad 7, are actually improving better than their massive lot. Far more closer to human than you would think. I think that you must have gotten them a lot of experience in battle." Calvaro answered back.

"I see... We fought in the defence of Vasel, and it was a difficult first battle, to say the least. We managed to avoid causalities, although it was a miracle that it stayed that way." Welkin admitted.

"That makes a good commander of these obedient dogs of squadmates then." Calvaro stated, before he then turned to the stormtrooper group, as he blew the training whistle. "Alright, lowlifes. Training's over! You better feel like that you've gained something from this, or I'll make you do the entire exercise again, until I see improvement in you!"

Richard skidded to a stop, as he then lifted Kevin off him, as the Squad 7 stormtrooper then sighed in great relief.

"It's over... Thank you, drill sergeant..." Kevin muttered, before he gave Richard a friendly smile. "Thanks for the help, Rain... I wouldn't have been able to do well, if it wasn't for your help."

"Yeah, you had my help, but with it, you managed to keep yourself running, Kevin." Richard stated, as he then wiped his face, collecting the sweat on it. "Geez, I must have really trained hard, to have sweated up an entire layer around every square inch of my skin. You should take a rest."

"Yeah, I should... See you, Rain..." Kevin replied back, as he left the training field. Vyse followed after him, as he gave Richard a gesture of pointing a mock-gun at him in humour, as Richard lifted both of his hands to mimic guns back at the energetic teenage soldier. Vyse reacted with a expression of surrender before he left.

"So, the prodigal commander has come to visit us soldiers." Richard quipped to Welkin. "How's it going, Welkin. Any engagements lined up for Squad 7?"

"Well, thanks to us bringing the Great Vasel Bridge back into our hands... We pushed the Imperial frontline significantly. They've began to gather forces in central Gallia, creating an entirely new theatre for conflict." Welkin explained. "However, we of the militia have been assigned to engage the enemy in the southern areas, specifically the Kloden region. It's known for its dense forests and vast number of hills and valleys, so getting around it would be difficult for all forces involved. Captain Varrot stated that there's a Imperial supply base hidden within the region, fuelling the forces in Central Gallia, due to intel. Squad 7 and the rest of the Third Regiment are ordered to take the base, and prepare for woodland combat. Faldio also mentioned that it would be tough, with how the woods plays tricks on one's perception, and poor roads would make advances slow through it."

"I see... He's not entirely wrong there. We would also have to be careful about having to deal with ambushes all the way." Richard remarked back. "Any news from the R&R department?"

"Just general improvements to our weapons, including our grenades and suits." Welkin answered back. "They also fitted the Edelweiss with a leaf spring to help improve the defence of the Edelweiss's treads. It's also got additional armour to increase its durability, as well as rolled steel, to make it more resistant to all attacks aimed at it. In terms of firepower, the cannon just got recently-developed anti-armour rounds for the main cannon."

"That's good. With this, the Edelweiss should be able to handle the enemies for this confrontation." Richard stated. "Right then, how long until we sortie?"

"About 3 days, why?" Welkin asked, before he saw Richard point at Sanae, who was desperately trying to defuse a mine, before she managed to successfully defuse one, as she raised her fists in joy of her success. "Oh. You're worried that Sally won't be able to work with the mines that might be potentially placed in our path to deal with us?"

"Yeah, she'll need as much time as she needs to practice defusal." Richard nodded. "She's up to notch with repairs and standard first-aid, like the rest of her class. But she needs more time to deal with mines. Once she gets it in her head, there will be certainly no problems when she gets onto the battlefield. Anyway, let's go get a drink together. You and I deserve one, for different reasons."

"Right, uh... Same place?" Welkin asked, before he felt Richard wrap his sweat-drenched arm around him.

"Same place." He stated, as they both left the training field, as Calvaro merely snorted at them, before turning back to supervise the training of the soldiers.

* * *

_A few days later... deep in the woods of the Kloden region..._

The officers of Squad 7, as well as Richard's group, were scouting out the area ahead, as they slowly advanced under the thick foilage of the forest around them.

"What are we doing? Remind me, whose idea was it to come out here anyway?" Rosie complained, as she looked around, crouched down to get a closer look at the trail under them. "Enough with the trees already."

"You can say that again." Largo commented as well, scratching his head. "Woods are so thick, you can't tell up from down with these trees here."

"Stop complaining, and keep watch or at least help." Reisen scolded them both.

"Hey, watch your mouth!" Rosie retorted back. "It's not like we're following after your friend willingly."

Welkin then noticed something on the ground, as he crouched down to get a closer look at the things on the ground, which resembled small brown balls. "Here we go..." He muttered.

"Hey, great. What did he find, a map in the dirt?" Rosie snorted, before she then found the tip of Marisa's lance bumping into her abdomen, eliciting a cry of pain, as she glared at Marisa, who returned it with a intense glare.

"I like you to see you do better in this case." Marisa responded back, as she set her lance back down. "Grow up, and accept the fact that Welkin knows what he's doing. After all, he's a university student with sufficient knowledge of the wilderness, unlike you."

"Grrr..." Rosie grumbled loudly, before she then looked back at Welkin, as Richard walked over.

"What did you find, Welkin?" Richard asked.

"These." Welkin stated, picking the brown things up, and placing them into Richard's palm. "Hold onto these for me, will you?"

"Sure." Richard answered back, as everyone was looking at the duo, as Richard picked one of them up, and held it up to the sun to get a clearer look of it. "It feels quite soft between my fingers... What is it?"

"They're Longbeard goat droppings." Welkin answered back, without turning away from the ground, as Sanae and Alicia were revolted to hear that.

"Ah! Gross! You made him hold poo!?" Alicia exclaimed, as she was unhappy to see Welkin force Richard to take part in his actions of studying the wilderness in such a disgusting manner.

"No, actually, I'm quite surprised to find animal droppings this round, especially from a heavy-eater like a goat." Richard remarked, before he then set the dropping between his fingers down on the ground, before tipping his hand to let the rest fall of it. "Still, it was a good thing I'm wearing gloves. It would be quite disgusting to hold it in my bare hands, in all honesty, since I'm not used to it."

"Hey, Welks, did you find something useful?" Isara asked, as she came out of the Edelweiss, coming towards Welkin.

"Actually I do." Welkin nodded, before gesturing everyone to come closer to him. "Come here. Take a look at this."

At the request, everyone moved in closer, as they got a good look of where Welkin was referring to, as it was a large patch of grass, which had several areas that were trampled down near the ground.

"Hm, the grass has been trampled down quite deeply. Something must have passed through them." Sanae examined the patch of grass.

"That's right, Sally. It's an animal trail." Welkin answered back with a smile. "With any luck, this could be our way out. Animals have a natural instinct to find the most efficient path. That's why the grass here is trampled down. They snap off branches from the tress, and eat the grass. As a result, they clear a perfect trail to follow them."

"So if we make like goats and follow it, the path will take us through." Rosie followed up with an explanation of her own.

"Through here, the enemy supply base should be nearby." Welkin stated. "We'll use this trail to send another unit through."

"And we might be able to detect enemy ambushes, as we make our way through." Gus added. "We have you to thank for pointing out this for all of us, Lieutenant."

"Ahaha, it's nothing much really." Welkin stated, before another patch of grass rustled near them, as everyone whipped around towards the direction of the sound.

"We're not alone here." Isara remarked.

"I'll go investigate." Alicia said, as she lowered her rifle, and slowly approached the patch of grass, with her weapon up. "Put your hands in the air!"

The only response was a weird sound that sounded like oinking, as a small pig with long ears, and wings on its body appeared.

"It's... a pig... with wings!?" Marisa exclaimed with shock, seeing the strange animal before them, as she lowered her weapon in shock.

"It looks like a porcavain piglet." Isara explained about the animal.

"Whatever it is..." Sanae remarked, as she walked over and picked up the winged piglet in her hands, as she stroked it gently. The young porcovain immediately let out a series of satisfied 'Moink!' sounds, as it seems to like it. "It's so adorable and cute... I just can't resist petting this little thing."

"What's your story? Got separated from your mom?" Alicia asked the piglet gently.

"Wait... I smell something." Reisen stated, as she then walked through the patch of grass. "I think I know the smell, but I must certainly hope that it's not what I'm thinking it is."

The patch of grass rustled under Reisen's footsteps, before she then saw the larger mother porcovain on the ground, as it was lying in a puddle of its own blood, as there were bullet holes riddled on its body.

"Ghh!" Reisen gasped in shock, as she quickly suppressed the urge to make any sounds that would betray significant emotion. "I... I found something."

"Well, what did you find?" Alicia asked back, as Reisen then came out the patch of grass with a sullen expression.

"I managed to find the sharp smell of drying blood here, and so I followed the trail." Reisen answered. "Turns out that the mother porcovain was killed by gunfire. I don't know why this happened, but this porcovain piglet is without mother. The corpse is fresh, so the kill must be done in less than a day before."

Everyone was slightly heartbroken, to see how a young animal lost its mother because of the war.

"Even all the way out here, the war's still claiming lives." Largo sighed.

"You lost your family too, huh, little thing?" Alicia asked the piglet in Sanae's arms with a melancholic tone. "Left all alone..."

The young porcovain let out a sad sound, as Sanae stroked its back in a attempt to help cheer it up.

"Well, Alicia? Does he want to come with us?" Welkin asked.

"Wait, how do you know that piglet is male?" Gus questioned Welkin.

"By the wingspan. Male porcovains have a smaller wingspan than females." Welkin explained. "ANyway, we're the militia, any Gallian has the right to join us."

"Even animals of the country, huh." Richard remarked. "Don't worry, we'll do our best to take care of this little guy then. Just make sure he's in the tank when we fight. I don't want that little piglet go the same way his mother did."

"You hear that? As of today, you're a member of Squad 7, little guy!" Alicia told the piglet.

"Yay! Thank you, Welkin!" Sanae thanked her officer, as the piglet let out a series of grateful sounds in response, as Sanae hugged it tightly to her chest.

"Anyway, right now, we will need to wait for the rest of the squad to arrive here. While we do, we'll go over the plan." Welkin stated. "The enemy supply unit should be east of here, and the enemy has formed a fortified defence line. We will split into two teams, like we did in our first battle in Vasel. One team will be with the Edelweiss, working to weaken the main body of the enemy defences. The other team will take the animal trail, and use it to take down the enemies from behind, as well as take out any enemy ambushes they could find. Intel from the army states that there will be mines across the entire area, leading up to the base. We will need to have someone specialised enough to take care of the mines. Sally, are you prepared for the task?"

"Of course! The other engineers in the squad helped me out in learning the disarming procedure perfectly. Now you don't have to worry about me making any slip-ups on the battlefield." Sanae assured Welkin with a smile. "But shouldn't your tank be able to run over standard mines for us?"

"Yes, but we need to take care of the anti-tank ones, before the Edelweiss can advance. We can't risk shredding the treads on the mines, as it would leave the tank a sitting-duck for any Lancers or other anti-tank weapons." Welkin responded back. "Also, we have more time to take care of the enemy, but we will still have to hurry, since enemy backup could possibly approach their supply base at any time."

"So who's going where?" Richard asked.

"Right then, the roster should be like this..." Welkin stated.

North Team: Rain, Vyse, Rosie, Alicia, Gus

South Team: Edelweiss, Mari, Remy, Largo, Sally, Nancy

* * *

_At the operation's starting moments..._

Welkin waited on top of the Edelweiss, as Mari, Remy, Largo, Sally, and Nancy, who was a slightly short girl with light-brown hair tied into short pig-tails on the sides of her head, green eyes with round glasses over them, as well as a blue Gallian beret on her head.

"We're all here and accounted for, Welkin." Richard told Welkin through the squad comms. "We'll start advancing through the path, when you give us the signal."

"Roger that." Welkin acknowledged Richard's words, before he turned to the group around the tank. "The enemy's supply base is through these woods! Squad 7, move out!"

Welkin then entered the tank, closing the top hatch shut, as it slowly advanced, with the group following after them.

"Wait, don't move. There's a Imperial lancer just ahead in range." Reisen warned Welkin, as she then crouched down, and aimed her sniper rifle, before zooming in to get a clear view of the Lancer faraway. "I got them in my sight. Stay there for a moment."

Reisen then fired off a shot at the lancer, as it hit its mark on the head, taking out the Lancer without them suspecting anything before they were abruptly ended by the shot. "All clear, for now." She announced.

"Good, keep moving, all of you." Welkin ordered, as everyone moved on through the road, although Nancy noticed something on the bank on the north side.

"Um, there's some sort of cannon on the other side?" Nancy reported, as she managed to make out the shape of a howitzer in the distance.

"Anti-tank gunnery sighted on the north bank. Pushing ahead could prove dangerous for the Edelweiss." Isara remarked from Nancy's discovery.

"Looks like that we should get moving then?" Gus asked. "We'll take care of the anti-tank cannon from close-up. That should lessen the risk of being targeted by anti-tank weapons."

"Will do. North team, advance!" Welkin ordered.

"You got it, commander! We're up and ready to go!" Vyse remarked.

The team soon made their way through the other path, as they managed to get to one of the enemy camps, as there was a soldier patrolling it, and the anti-tank cannon, which looked like a howitzer up close, that Nancy sighted.

"We'll need them both down." Richard stated, as he turned to Vyse. "Vyse? On my mark?"

"Got it, Rain. I'll take the lone guy patrolling." Vyse nodded back.

They then waited for the opportune moment to strike, as the patrolling soldier was moving close to where the anti-tank cannon was, as they both dashed out, and fired at them.

"You won't get a chance to hurt the others!" Richard declared.

"Lemme in on it!" Vyse added, as he wildly fired his submachine-gun.

They both took out the patrolling soldier, and the soldier controlling the anti-tank cannon without any problems. Alicia then made her way to where the camp's banner was, as she replaced the Imperial banner for the Gallian one.

"Base's secured, and the anti-tank cannon has been disabled." Gus reported to Welkin.

"Excellent. We'll continue advancing, after Sally checked for anti-tank mines in our way." Welkin responded back.

"Right, I'll take care of it!" Sanae responded back, as she slowly advanced, before finding a anti-tank mine in the path. "Oop, there's one right where I am. Let me just..."

Sanae then bent down, as she pulled out the disarming tools, as she carefully disabled the mine. After she was sure that the mine was completely disabled, she then picked it up and frisbee-throwed it into the nearby lake. "There, done. You can keep on moving now, Welkin."

"Got it. Everyone, move up." Welkin ordered, as the south team continued their advance.

When they moved up, they managed to find another Imperial lancer, accompanied by a Imperial medium tank. "We've got company! A Lancer and a medium tank ahead!" Sanae warned everyone. "And I think I see some other soldiers further back from them."

"Mari, Largo, engage the Imperial tank with the Edelweiss." Welkin relayed his orders to the team. "Sally, check for any other mines in the vicinity. There must be some, if there are enemies in the area. The rest of you, take cover behind the Edelweiss."

"You got it, boss-man." Largo stated, as he readied his lance to fire, as Marisa did the same. "You're done!"

"Haha, eat this!" Marisa shouted, as the two of them fired their lances at the Imperial tank in their view, as the rockets pierced through the tank's body armour, damaging it considerably. The Imperials in the area were notified of their presence by the attack, as the tank's cannon swivelled around to fire at the group.

The Imperial Lancer also prepared to attack, before they were cut off by a sniper shot from Reisen, before they could fire their payload at the Edelweiss. Nancy, Reisen and Sanae moved behind the Edelweiss for cover, as Marisa and Largo hid behind the nearest sandbag cover they could find.

The Imperial tank then fired its tank cannon at the Edelweiss, as the cannon shot managed to shake the Edelweiss from the impact and explosion of the attack.

"Minor damage sustained! The Imperial Tank didn't manage to hit any major components of the tank." Welkin reported the severity of the damage to the tank. "Returning fire, NOW!"

The Edelweiss then locked its own cannon onto the Imperial Tank, as it then fired a cannon shot that punched through the frontal armour of the enemy tank. With the damage sustained from before, Welkin's attack was all it took to down the medium-class tank, as it was left a wreck from the mortal blow.

"North team, how is your progress?" Welkin asked the other team.

"We're still fine. Imperial troops tried to advance to our position." Alicia stated.

"But we shot them down faster than they could even react to our presence. Heh!" Vyse remarked as well.

"I see, we are approaching closer to the supply base. Start advancing, but be careful." Welkin replied to the team.

"Got it. We'll take care." Gus said.

"Wait, I see some mines ahead." Sanae stated, as she saw that there were some anti-tank mines blocking the way forward. "Let me take care of them."

The north team immediately advanced from their position, as they stuck close together, keeping their eyes everywhere, until they reached a fork in the path.

"We should split up and cover every path we can take here." Gus suggested.

"Not a good idea." Richard stated, before he pointed at the left path. "I think that this path should be a more direct route to the supply base."

Rosie then walked up to Richard with a irritated expression. "And who made you the leader of this team?" She asked with a very unfriendly tone. "I'm certainly not trusting our intuition on this, dark-hair!"

"You don't have to." Richard responded back in a calm manner, in a attempt to defuse the matter. "But I will be going down that path, since I have a feeling that it snakes straight along as far as I can see. Anyone coming with me?"

"Eh, if it gets up closer to the action, then I'm up for it." Vyse agreed.

"I agree. Rain does have a good sense of direction, even in a area with twisted paths and winding roads like this. This looks like its a safer path." Gus seconded Richard's suggestion.

"Gus and I will scout out the path ahead, if need be." Alicia added. "That way, you can take it easy, while we check for where the path leads to."

"You all..." Rosie grumbled, before she then let out a sharp 'Hmph!' in discontent. "Fine, we'll follow your path. But if we end up in a ambush by the Imperials, it will be your fault and responsibility."

"I will properly accept it as such if it is. But let's not argue, and use the time to get moving." Richard told Rosie. "Come on."

The team immediately moved along, as Gus and Alicia ran ahead of them. After a few moments walking along the path, Gus and Alicia came back to the rest of the group.

"Rain is right, it's a direct path to the supply base. We managed to find a lone guard on this side of the base." Alicia reported back.

Rosie was slightly annoyed to find out that Richard's guess was right, as he seemed to smile a little.

"Good, we should wait here, and prepare for the assault from where we are." Richard stated.

Rosie was about to complain, although she fell silent, when she had the same idea in mind, as they moved as close as they could without catching the patrolling soldier's attention.

"This is North Team." Rosie told Welkin through the squad comms. "We're near the supply base."

"Good, we're making our way there." Welkin stated. "How's the situation, team?"

"I managed to get rid of the mines ahead of us." Sanae answered back. "We're cleared to move."

"Wait, look over there!" Nancy exclaimed, as she pointed at a path that ran from the back of the base that was in their way.

"I see. This path must lead to somewhere that we can make use of." Welkin stated, before he then studied the area map closely. When he did so, he noticed something that he could use, as he then notified the north team. "North team, can you see if there is a position that overlooks the base on the opposite side where you are waiting?"

"I saw that there was a large hill that overlooks the base, that anyone could walk up on from your side." Gus stated.

"Hm. Mari, Remy, could you take the path? I think that it would be the best place for a sniper to do their work at." Welkin requested.

"We'll get in position as quickly as possible." Reisen responded back firmly, as she and Marisa took the other path. However, it was blocked by a fallen tree-trunk.

"No worries, nothing a little firepower can't solve!" Marisa spoke cheerfully, as she used a shot from her Lance to blow away the wooden obstacle to pieces, as they continued to move.

The Edelweiss then moved, as it then fired off a mortal shell right into the enemy camp, as it knocked the hiding soldiers out of their cover. While they were down, Sanae and Nancy downed both of them. Largo moved up, and claimed the camp for the squad. Sanae then looked at the next stretch of the road, as it led right to the supply camp.

"This is the last part of the area we need to traverse to get to the supply base..." Sanae stated. "But there are anti-tank mines planted in the road, and I can't move safely, with the storm-trooper keeping watch over in the area."

"I... I can take care of that, if you want." Nancy offered meekly.

"Really? That would be great!" Sanae replied back enthusiastically.

"Alright, we will begin the assault soon." Welkin stated, before contacting Reisen and Marisa. "Remy? Mari? How are things going where you guys are?"

"We're making our way up." Reisen stated, before they then reached the area, where they found an anti-tank cannon overlooking the base. "Ah... It seems that there was one more anti-tank cannon here. We should claim it, in case that the enemy has reinforcements for us."

She then levelled her sniper-rifle and blew the operator's head out with a precise shot, as the corpse of the soldier fell to the ground. Marisa and Reisen then moved in position, as they got a clear view of the area below.

"We're in position now." Reisen stated. "It looks like that I got a clear shot of anyone in the base from here."

She then hid within the patch of grass, laying herself in prone position, as Marisa immediately then commandeered the anti-tank cannon for herself.

"Hoo boy! These Imperials will be shocked when they find their own weapon turned against them. Hehehe..." Marisa chuckled deviously, as she then aimed it around.

"Alright, all teams, assault the base!" Welkin commanded.

"Roger that, we're moving now!" Richard stated, as the north team swarmed the lone guard, as Vyse took out the lone guard, while the others rushed in. "Beginning our assault-"

Suddenly, there was the sound of a large tank rolling into the area, as the north team stopped where they were, and Marisa turned the anti-tank cannon towards where the sound was coming from.

From the farther end of the Imperial supply base, a large red heavy tank rolled into the area, as it had the emblem of a bull's head on the sides, as well as metallic wings on the end of the long cannon barrel, as well as a large mounted machine-gun in front of the top hatch. It was accompanied by several soldiers, who marched into the base, as several of them were wearing the red armour of squad leaders. It stopped in the middle of the base, as the accompanying reinforcements took position in the base's defences.

"I got here as soon as I could, but... Apparently not soon enough, I see." A confident male voice rang from the tank, as if broadcast by speakers in the tank.

"General Jaeger!" The stormtrooper, who was guarding the front gate, immediately dashed into the base. "You've brought reinforcements?"

"A few, but this place is almost surrounded, by the looks of it. I can see that there are enemies in all directions." Jaeger stated. "We'll lose both the base and supplies if we hold here. Listen, I want you all to pack up what you can, and get ready to evacuate."

"What will you do, General?" The Imperial storm-trooper asked back.

"Buy you boys some time. Just leave the enemy to me." Jaeger told the soldier. "You better get moving. And make sure to close the back gate, as you run."

"R-Roger that, General!" The stormtrooper stated. "You heard him, gather as much supplies as you can, and leave the area immediately!"

The former defenders of the base then immediately scurried across the base, as they moved supplies out of the base.

"Oh no you don't-" Marisa cried, as she moved the cannon to fire at the tank, and the soldiers below.

"Don't, Mari!" Welkin stated. "We cannot risk alerting the enemy to our presence yet. Let the base defenders retreat. We can take care of the reinforcements that their General has brought here."

"Gnngh..." Marisa grumbled, as she watched as the Imperial

"Well, at least let me defuse these mines in front of us..." Sanae responded back, as she moved up and defused all the mines blocking the path to the supply base, before she then retreated back. "All done, we got a clear path to the supply base, completely mine-free!"

The soldiers stationed in the supply base finished their tasks as quickly as they could, before they then left through the back gate of the base, as it closed up tightly, to prevent anyone getting past the General and his reinforcements.

"Now then... Looks like I'm going to get to see first-hand the group who managed to get past the forests to get here." Jaeger remarked. "Although, I'm surprised that they waited for the other soldiers to retreat. A clever move... And a generous one at that."

"Remy? Mari?" Welkin asked. "Can you note anything of note about the enemy command's tank?"

"It possesses a longer and larger cannon barrel length than the other tank. We should expect that it has a payload stronger than what our tank can take for more than a few hits." Reisen analysed Jaeger's tank. "It also possesses the same weakness of exposing its radiator plates, so if Largo can make it around the tank without getting shot down, or if you can outmanoeuvre the tank, an attack there should weaken it."

"Although I recommend you take its treads out. If that tank can move as fast as any other one, then nobody would be safe from whatever it could bring towards us." Marisa added.

"Right then, commence the assault now! Everyone, take cover behind the Edelweiss, if you must!" Welkin ordered, for the assault to begin.

The north team, who was previously interrupted by the arrival of the reinforcements, immediately poured into the supply base, as they ran in firing their weapons, as they managed to take out the stormtroopers in the front of the base, before they were forced into cover by the enemy tank's mounted machine-gun firing on them.

Reisen immediately took the moment to snipe out one of the Imperial scouts positioned at the back of the supply base, as she managed to take down one of them, leaving the other one looking for where the sniper shot came from. They then noticed Marisa on the anti-tank cannon, as the other scout soon moved to head up the hill where she was.

"Not going to let you get the chance!" Marisa exclaimed, as she fired off the anti-tank cannon, after locking onto them, as the cannon shot managed to cause a explosion that tore the Imperial scout apart from the force of the attack. She then loaded another cannon shell into the anti-tank cannon, as she aimed it at the enemy tank.

The Edelweiss then made it face-to-face with the enemy tank, as Welkin immediately fired off a cannon-shot at the treads, that severely damaged them. Vyse also pitched in, by chucking a live grenade near the treads, as the explosions was all it took to render them damaged to the point that its movement was severely restricted.

Largo immediately moved up to take a shot, as the attack managed to hit the enemy tank, damaging it slightly. The Imperial forces took it as a sign to start their counter-offensive, as they moved up forward, to assault the forces within the base.

However, due to the fact that the north team were already vigilant, they fired off their respective guns in interception, as it took out the advancing Imperial soldiers, at the cost of their whole ammo magazine, as they were forced to reload to attack again.

The enemy tank then immediately lobbed a mortar towards where Richard and Vyse were taking cover, as both of them immediately rolled out of cover, before the shell struck and destroyed the sandbags that protected them. Before they could be attacked by the MG, they retreated behind a building, safe from the enemy tank's sights. However, that led to the enemy tank turning an eye towards the Edelweiss, as it fired off a shot that hit the Edelweiss, with enough force to cause light smoke to pop from the seams in the armour.

"We've got major damage here..." Welkin stated with worry.

"Crap! I'll take care of it!" Sanae exclaimed in fright, as she rushed up to the Edelweiss, as she then walked up to the Edelweiss, as she used her repair tools to do quick work on the Edelweiss, as she patched up the holes in the armour on the top of the tank, before then hopping down and hiding behind a building. "I don't think that I can do anymore, with that tank of theirs having their eyes on me!"

"We'll take care of that." Rosie stated, before she then threw her grenade right where the radiator plate was, as it managed to do a lot of damage to the tank, despite the reduced force of the grenade's explosion, compared to a cannon-shot.

"And don't forget about me!" Marisa stated, as she carefully aimed the anti-tank cannon right where the exposed radiator plates were. "If this thing got good accuracy, it should help me get a clean shot on their weak-point. Well, it better... Because I got no room for error here. Here goes!"

She then fired the anti-tank cannon a second-time, as it managed to barely hit the radiator plates, as the enemy tank began to show signs of severe damage, as dark-grey smoke fumed out of the tank's body, and electricity from broken systems sparked across the tank's body.

"Heh, not bad, not bad. To make quick work of my Lupus." Jaeger remarked with a impressed tone. "Looks like Gallia's got some competent men, especially in your tank."

"General Jaeger, the base patrol has finished evacuating from the area, along with the supplies." One of Jaeger's men reported back to his superior.

"All right, that means this base is just another patch of woods now." Jaeger stated, before the Lupus then turned around to retreat. "We'll thank the Gallians for this another day. Get the last of your men out."

The Lupus then retreated, with what little of the initial reinforcements survived, as everyone watched as the general retreated.

"Welks, the enemy is abandoning the base..." Isara notified Welkin.

"One step ahead... They timed that perfectly. I'm just glad that backup unit arrived late." Welkin sighed. "Operation complete! We have their base now. We should head back to base, and notify the rest of the regiment to salvage what we can from the abandoned supply base."

* * *

_After a few hours, in the abandoned Imperial supply_ base...

"Well done, soldiers. The operation was a success." Varrot praised the members of the missions, as Sanae was holding the porcovain piglet in her arms firmly.

"Another victory for Welkin Gunther!" Alicia chimed with happiness.

"Nope, not this time. All the glory goes to this little guy." Welkin humbly stated, pointing at the Porcovain in Sanae's arms, who let out a confused sound.

"Way to go Hans. First day on the job, and you're already a hero!" Alicia praised the piglet as well.

"Yeah, now you have earned your place with us, as heroes!" Sanae exclaimed, as she nuzzled the winged pig cheek-to-cheek.

"Our success today was thanks to the animals living in these woods." Welkin continued, turning to Varrot.

"So, uh... Who named the bacon Hans?" Largo joked, before he was then smacked on the back of the head hard by Sanae, as he groaned in pain. "Ow!"

"Hey, he's no bacon! He's a living animal, thank you very much, Largo!" Sanae harshly scolded Largo.

"Geez, the 'bacon' part was just a joke. Don't take it so seriously..." Largo muttered back.

"Captain Varrot, I'd like to introduce Squad 7's newest addition, Hans." Welkin introduced the piglet to Varrot.

"Hans, I heard you performed admirably today. I expect great things from you. Dismissed." Varrot told the piglet, who lifted its head in mock pride and a proud sound.

Richard, Gus, Alicia, Welkin, Nancy and Vyse laughed at that, as they then made their way back to their own camp for the squad.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Confrontation at Barious Desert

Response to reviews:

-Yeah, Marisa knows that well. And Rosie is really pushing her to the peak of her limits of patience here. And Marisa doesn't need the point about beating Richard/Rain until he bled, because that point is basically known to both of them, considering her reaction when Rosie beat Richard before Welkin interfered.

-Calamity Raven? Very unlikely. That's the Nameless's gig. However, if Richard/Rain were to meet them, as Rain, he'd surely be pissed at the fact that Calamity Raven are basically the representation of the rumour of Darcsens being bloody warmongers. He will very strongly refuse to join them, and tell them that it's because of people like them, that every Darcsen, including himself, had to suffer discrimination, and part of the reason why his 'backstory' even come to 'happen'.

* * *

_In the R&R department..._

"There we go. Everything should be done now!" Leon exclaimed. "These should be perfect for you, bro!"

"Thank you, Leon. I cannot tell you how grateful for the work you guys have done for us." Welkin responded back to the researcher with a nod.

"No need for thanks, bro! It's just how we roll!" Leon exclaimed, thumping his hand onto his chest as a expression of pride.

"We are always happy to provide you help with all we can develop, Lieutenant." Kreis also added.

Suddenly, Richard came in, as his uniform was slightly dirty, from the training that he had, and his skin was slightly red and sweaty from the heat, as his hair was doused in the bodily fluid, causing it to look slightly slick.

"Hey, Welkin. Didn't think that you would be here yet." Richard told Welkin, who turned around to address his squadmate. "So then, what new developments have been made for our little squad?"

"About that, Sergeant..." Kreis remarked back. "We have managed to make some improvements to both the blast and combat suits for defence, and the weapons have been developed again. For you, the Mags series have been upgraded with higher calibre of bullets, to deal more damage overall to all targets. And the B-Type Grenades have been given a stronger explosive to boost their effectiveness."

"What about the Edelweiss, our main tank of the squad?" Richard asked again.

"We just finished those upgrades for him, bro!" Leon chimed in. "Mortar got a lot more power packed into it, with the increased payload, and steel alloy plates to replace the older and weaker radiator plates."

"I see. So the MG is still same old, same old?" Richard said, before sighing. "Well, it's good as it is, so don't fix what's not broken, people would say."

"Rain, how was the training with the drill sergeant?" Welkin asked Richard firmly.

"The training proceeded well. Sergeant Calvaro shouted at quite a few people, including some from our squad. But overall, we managed to do better. Today was a obstacle course run, complete with a shooting segment, and a segment where we were expected to melee a target using our gun." Richard stated the details of the training. "I managed to do quite well, not to brag, and surprisingly, Vyse did better than me. Perhaps it was the fact that the shooting and bashing hyped him up I guess?"

"How about the other classes?" Welkin questioned Richard again.

"Didn't manage to see much, since I was focused on properly finishing the obstacle course, but I could swear that I saw the scouts were doing short-distance sprint races, to train their agility. And then there were the Lancers, who were doing weight training. I'll tell you this, Mari and Largo are actually quite even in terms of strength. They were bench-pressing the same amount of weights." Richard continued.

"I see." Welkin nodded, noticing the sweat dripping from Richard. "You look like that you were pushing yourself quite hard."

"Of course I was. I had to properly give the training my all, if I'm going to help the others on the battlefield. In fact, I might become the second elite of the stormtrooper team of Squad 7, like Rosie, if I keep this up." Richard responded back. "By the way, Edy approached me after the training, and she was quite envious of my results in the course. She wanted to know how I was able to shave a lot of time during my runs through it. I taught her the basics of the method I use, such as pivoting the body while running to keep an eye everywhere, as well as how to reduce sway on the gun while running. She looked quite happy to get the advice from me."

"I'm glad to see that you're helping the others as usual, Rain." Welkin praised Richard.

"Haha, it's nothing much to me. Just glad to help the others get stronger." Richard chuckled amusingly. "By the way, location of the next sortie, if you will, please Lieutenant?"

"We're moving to the Barious Desert. The Imperials have arrived there, and quickly set up a base there." Welkin told Richard. "Squad 7 has been tasked to investigate the base, and see what their motive of stationing themselves there was."

"Hm. The Barious Desert..." Richard hummed. "I heard about the place before."

"You have?" Welkin asked back with some surprise."

"I heard not much about it though. People say that the desert was a place that used to be a thriving region, where it was a prosperous city." Richard explained. "But then, they say, the Darcsen Calamity happened, and the city, along with the entire region was razed to the ground because of it."

"That's what is said, but they also say that it was the Darcsens that destroyed the city, using dark arts involving Ragnite, to achieve the destruction of the region." Welkin corrected Richard's information

"Huh... Well, it's a good thing that these methods for the dark arts are lost... Or the world would be surely suffering as a result of this destructive power..." Richard stated. "I surely hope that the Darcsens of today would never do such a thing..."

Richard then turned to leave. "Anyway, I will just dismiss myself, and head to the camp to get myself washed, and get ready for the mission." He stated, before turning to Welkin. "How long do we have until the mission?"

"About 3 days. Why do you ask?" Welkin responded back.

"Just curious." Richard shrugged. "Anyway, until our mission starts, Welkin."

Richard then left the building, as he had a plan brewing inside of his head.

'_Looks like it's that time already. I should get reading the map of the area, so that I can know where I can plant those weapons of mine..._' He silently thought. '_I think that the weapons should have a temporary layer of millennia-old rust and wear on them._'

He then smiled deviously. '_Selvaria Bles... Let's see how far that power of Valkyria fares against my own power... forged from the very power of magic_.'

* * *

_In the Barious Desert..._

The Gallian Third Regiment was rolling across the dunes and the sandy grounds of the vast desert, as Gallian light tanks passed through the narrow path across.

Gus was using binoculars to observe the rolling tanks, as he slowly turned around to keep an eye on them, until he felt someone tapping on his shoulder. He immediately took the sighting tool out of his eyes, and then turned around to see that Alicia was the one who tapped him, as he silently handed the binoculars to her.

Alicia then surveyed the area ahead, with the binoculars, as she slowly looked around left and right for any sign of Imperial forces within their range.

Both of them were on the Edelweiss, as they were scouting out the area ahead, while Welkin was using the large map in his hands to check the area, while Richard, Sanae, Marisa, Reisen, Rosie and Largo were enjoying juicy watermelon pieces, as they enjoyed the large fruit with delight, and Ellet sitting on the side of the cannon barrel, with pen and notebook out.

"Know what, this is one strange place." Largo muttered, as he finished a piece of his watermelon. "Rocks with holes in them, dug up ground as far as the eye can see."

"Not always, they say this used to be a huge ancient city." Welkin replied back. "Now there's nothing but desert left."

Rosie chewed slowly, as she gave Welkin a side-glance, and glared at Richard, who was joyously eating his piece of watermelon, before she then spat a watermelon seed out, and throwing the eaten piece of watermelon in her hands.

"We all know what happened. The Darcsen Calamity." Rosie dryly stated. "They say that the dark-hairs used some some kind of dark arts to burn this city. Left nothing but ash. "

"Can't see what kind of magic you'd use to burn up this much land though. It's just crazy..." Largo added.

"I don't know. Isara said that was a myth with no real evidence." Ellet commented.

"Look, their kind has been digging up ragnite since forever." Rosie firmly told Ellet with a leer. "So who's to say they don't know some weird Darcseny way to use the stuff as a weapon, I'm just saying."

"Who knows?" Sanae remarked, as she swallowed the watermelon in her mouth. "Either way, I can ensure you that Rain has absolutely no way of enacting anything like this. Not a single drop of ragnite on him."

"Besides, Rain wouldn't do something like this, even if he had something like that." Marisa retorted back. "After all, he's not the kind of person to enact mass genocide. I mean, sure, he's determined to defeat the Empire, and he's been killing people like it's nothing. But that's just to protect his friends, and war's supposed to have people dying. I mean, you wouldn't want someone near-death shooting you through the chest, when you least expect it, right?"

Rosie growled, as Richard pretended not to hear the conversation.

"Anyway, as I was saying, we are in the middle of the badlands, and what exactly are we doing here?" Largo asked Welkin.

"We've received some intelligence. They're saying the Imperials have set up a base near the Barious ruins." Welkin explained. "Squad 7 was sent out to investigate. We need to verify the information."

"Imperials here? Some sandbox to come play in." Rosie scoffed, before she then stretched her arms, and crossed them behind her head, as she leaned back against the tank. "I don't get those Imperials. Who knows what they're thinking."

Largo let out a soft 'Heh.', as Ellet turned to Rosie. "She's right. Something is definitely up here." She replied back. "I mean, I just can't figure it out you know... why would they occupy this place?"

"Enemy sighted!" Alicia called out, as everyone turned to their attention to her, as she tweaked the binoculars to zoom in on the spot she saw, as it showed Imperial tanks being accompanied by soldiers, on standby at the faraway position. "Tanks at 0-4-0! Distance 800! Hold on... yes! There are foot soldiers as well, a mix between all classes, and they're taking up combat positions."

Largo stood up immediately. "Well, it looks like we found our bad guys." Largo said, before he and Rosie hopped off the Edelweiss.

"We need to prepare for battle as well." Richard stated, turning to Ellet. "Miss Ellet, if you will, head back to our camp, and keep yourself safe, until the battle is over."

"Alright." Ellet stated, as she hopped off the tank, and jogged the way back to camp.

"Squad 7, combat formation!" Welkin ordered, as everyone picked up their weapons for battle, and Alicia folded the binoculars back into her backpack.

"Who should we bring out, Lieutenant?" Gus asked.

"It looks like there is a tall cliff that the snipers can use..." Welkin stated. "Remy, I'll get another sniper stationed with you there."

"As you wish, Lieutenant." Reisen acknowledged, as she immediately got off the tank, and immediately made way to her position, where she would be accompanied.

"As for the rest of you..." Welkin continued, as he immediately prepared everyone for battle.

Sniping Team: Remy, Oscar

Advance Team: Edelweiss, Largo, Mari, Rain, Gus, Sally, Edy, Rosie, Vyse

* * *

_After all the squad members listed for deployment have grouped up..._

The Edelweiss then rolled in, as the members of the advance team gathered around the Edelweiss, while the sniping team took their positions on the cliff above.

Oscar, who was a young man with spiked up brown hair, and a small cross-shaped scar on the left side of his fore-head, as well as sharp eyebrows, took his position alongside Reisen, as he turned to the red-haired sniper beside him.

"Hey... Nice to meet you, Remy." Oscar addressed Reisen with a awkward smile, as the latter was preparing herself.

"Just keep an eye out for any enemy snipers. They could possibly take us out if they lock onto us from open ground like this." Reisen warned Oscar firmly.

"Wah! Where?" Oscar blurted out, as he immediately slammed himself prone onto the ground, as he swivelled his sniper rifle in panic, looking for the threat.

"You won't find any panicking like this. Calm down and look carefully..." Reisen advised Oscar in a calm tone.

"R-Right..." Oscar answered back, as he took a deep breath to calm down, as he looked around for the enemies.

Meanwhile, down at the Edelweiss, Edy was pestering Richard, as she was a bright-eyed young girl with light-grey hair that was tied into twin-tails by blue ribbons to the sides of her head.

"Hey hey! It's our dear Darcsen stormtrooper, Rain!" Edy cheerfully stated. "How are you doing? I'm quite happy to see you here."

"As am I, Edy Nelson." Richard answered back with a warm smile. "How did my tips do for you?"

"Really good! I think that you have done me quite a favour! I might actually give you something good for it." Edy teased.

"Is that so...?" Richard chuckled. "Let's just focus on the mission."

"...Spolisport." Edy pouted, before she then noticed Rosie, as she glared at the leading trooper silently.

"What's the problem for Edy with Rosie?" Gus asked, seeing the glare directed at Rosie. "She looks at her like she was someone that she detests."

"I heard from other squadmates that Edy really dislikes the fact that there are people who truly outshine her." Sanae explained. "I heard that Rosie is one of the people that she feels like that does so. So she have a strong dislike of Rosie."

"But wouldn't that mean that we would be under fire from her as well?" Gus responded back.

"Not really. We're not really 'hogging' her spotlight per se." Sanae shook her head. "Besides, a good actress knows that each person has their own role to play. As long as she is allowed to do her role in the battle as well as she can without interference, she's happy to do anything."

Welkin soon came out the Edelweiss's hatch, as he scanned the area around him more clearly.

"The Empire's spread out through the desert region. Squad 7, move out!" Welkin ordered.

"This place is really something else." Alicia remarked, looking around as well.

"Faldio was saying those holes are the result of the same blast that scorched the area." Welkin replied back to Alicia. "There are furrows dug into the ground, too. It must have really been some explosion."

"Yeah, but those trenches and rock walls should make solid cover." Rosie added her opinion.

"On an open field like this, we'll use whatever we can get for cover." Welkin answered back, before heading back into the tank to broadcast orders. "Sniping team, start taking out the main threats among the visible Imperial forces. Advance team, stick to cover, while you advance."

"Roger that." Richard answered back, as he immediately moved along with the other storm-troopers.

Reisen immediately snapped her rifle to the side, as she got the enemy in the scope, identifying the enemy as a Imperial sniper. She then ended the sniper with a shot to the head, that caused the sniper to fall from their position from the then loaded another bullet, as she sniped a Imperial scout that seemed to be too close for comfort, for both teams, before using the third bullet of her clip on one of the faraway Lancers, managing to score another kill.

Oscar, who was more reserved in his attack, only used a single shot from his sniper rifle to down one of the Imperial squad leaders with a shot to the head as well.

Richard, Vyse and Rosie were the first to engage the enemy, as they took down the Imperial soldiers in front of them with rapid fire, before they then made for cover behind a shattered piece of wall, while the others advanced with the Edelweiss, using it as mobile cover for their benefit.

The Imperial forces advanced as well, as a Imperial Lancer managed to land a hit onto the Edelweiss on the front, as Welkin and Isara were both shaken by the attack. Imperial Scouts moved forward, as they used their rifles to try and shoot anyone out of cover, although by doing so, they provoked interception fire from the stormtroopers in cover, as one of them was unlucky enough to be taken down by it, and the others were severely injured as a result.

Soon, from a faraway post, another Imperial Sniper appeared, as they took position, and pointed their sniper rifle at the sniping team's position, before then locking the sights onto Reisen and firing.

"Damn...!" Reisen exclaimed, as she saw the muzzle flash just quick enough, as she leaned far enough for the bullet to hit ground. "Oscar, you saw the muzzle flash! Fire a shot back, hurry!"

Oscar did what Reisen asked, as he tracked the enemy sniper in his scope, before zooming in and firing a single shot that took down the sniper threat easily.

"Good job. That should keep us safe for now." Reisen praised Oscar.

"Ah, no worries..." Oscar sheepishly rubbed the back of his head with embarrassment.

When the advance team of Squad 7 moved up, they encountered some complications, in the form of anti-personnel landmines strewn across the front.

"Alright, found you! Dance, punk-" Vyse exclaimed, as he moved around the cover, and levelled his gun towards a vulnerable Imperial Lancer, before hearing a resounding click under his foot. "Hah...?"

Vyse then looked down, as his face paled when he realised that his right foot was on the trigger switch of a land-mine. "...Shit..." Vyse swore with sweat dripping from his forehead.

"Vyse! I heard that click... Did you... That was a landmine... wasn't it...?" Richard asked.

"...Yes..." Vyse fearfully responded back with hesitation.

"Damn it... Stay where you are. Whatever you do, don't lift the foot on the trigger. Sally, move over to Vyse's position, and defuse that mine before it explodes and takes his legs out." Richard answered back. "Vyse... Try to avoid fire by crouching, and take out anyone you can reach from your current position."

"G-Got that." Vyse stated, with a audible gulp after, although he regained his courage. "Leave it to me!"

Vyse then took his shots at the Imperial Lancer, as they managed to take him down, despite the unexpected distance. The Edelwiess then advanced, as it then fired a mortal shell into a trench with two Imperial soldiers, who had a clear shot of Vyse, taking them both out, thanks to the enhanced payload of the weapon.

Sanae then moved forward, as she managed to reach Vyse's location without much problems. She then pulled out the disarming tools, while keeping an eye on Vyse.

"Whatever you do, don't move at all, until I give you the OK. Got that?" Sanae told Vyse with a serious tone.

Vyse silently nodded, as Sanae got to work with the mine for a moment, before it then clattered, indicating its defused condition.

"All done. You can step off now." Sanae said to Vyse, who immediately let out a held breath, lifting his foot of the broken mine's trigger panel.

"Whew... That was a close one. I almost ended up killing myself there." Vyse sighed in relief.

"Looks like the Imperials have planted anti-personnel mines here. Good thing that I've been working with them for training." Sanae said, before she noticed another mine nearby. "Oh, there's another one. Disarming that one as well."

Sanae began working on the other mine, as Vyse scrambled towards one of the dug-out trenches. Rosie and the other swarmed the enemy base, as Alicia used a grenade to draw the enemies out of cover, where they were gunned down by the others, allowing the capture of the Imperial camp midway through the battlefield.

"That should help our advance along." Welkin stated. "Sniping team, retreat from your position, and head back to base."

"Got that." Reisen stated, as she and Oscar stood up, before they retreated from the battlefield one by one.

The Edelweiss then stopped in front of the long stretch of desert that would lead up to the Imperial base camp, as Welkin and Isara managed to spot several Imperial troops spread amongst, with some Imperial tanks included.

"Tch... We will have to wait until the situation develops for us.." Welkin clicked his tongue in annoyance, as he took a look out of the periscope of the tank. He then saw as the sands were being blown through a certain direction, as it was picking out a lot of sand into the air. "It looks like the wind's really picking up now..."

"I suspect it's a sandstorm, Welks." Isara predicted the weather incoming. "These badlands are infamous for sandstorms bad enough to drop visibility to zero."

"I see, that'll make it tougher to spot the enemies until the storm blows over." Welkin responded back.

"Yes, but the same applies to the enemy. Now is our chance to advance undetected." Isara reminded Welkin. "Hiding within the sandstorm is a valid tactic when crossing ground with no natural cover."

"Good idea, thanks Is." Welkin thanked his adopted sister.

"You're welcome, Welks." Isara stated.

The sandstorm was starting to appear, as Marisa immediately advanced.

"If we got a chance to hit them without them knowing where it came from, I'm going in. I'll make sure to get them all with every shot I have." Marisa stated.

"Hold on, I'm coming as well. Who knows how many tanks are waiting on the other side." Largo interrupted, as he followed after Marisa.

"You? Sure, we better hurry. No good to shoot, if we don't have the slightest clue where the tanks are." Marisa replied back, as both of them ran into the sandstorm.

'_Now's my chance...!_' Richard thought, before he contacted Welkin. "Lieutenant, I'm going in as well. The sandstorm should give me enough safety for me to launch a solo assault to the enemy main base. If I can get there before they know it, then I can ambush the base troops and claim the base for all of us."

"Alright, I'll allow it." Welkin stated. "But be careful, Rain. The enemy could panic and shoot anywhere they would guess for where you might be."

"Then I just have to make sure they don't know I'm even here, don't I?" Richard answered back. "Still, your concern is noted. I'll make sure that I find cover, in case the sandstorm suddenly blows over."

Rosie growled a little, at the 'favouritism' displayed between Welkin and Richard right now, giving her seething feelings of disdain, although she let it simmer inside of her.

Richard then sprinted into the sandstorm, just as soon as the entire force of the weather blew down upon the land, as sand blew everywhere, causing Richard to squint his eyes to see even a few feet in front of him.

However, he did not need to use his eyes, as he closed them, and silently tapped into his magic to sense everything around him. As his senses spread outwards, more and more enemies appeared within his mental 'radar', completely clear even in the raging sandstorm, and under a certain point in the ground, laid a golden shield and sword, the very weapons Richard planted for himself in the ground.

'_Excellent, it's there._' Richard thought with satisfaction, as he slowly walked through the sandstorm, closing his eyes, and relying on his own mental radar formed by his magic-powered scanning. As he walked by, he moved close to any Imperial soldier he could find, and shot them up close without them knowing he was there, killing each and every one of them.

When he reached where his weapons were, he slowly parted the sands with his own hands, revealing the buried weapons. When he pulled them out of the dense layer of sand, he ran his hand across the edge of the blade, as he could feel the chipped and rusted texture of the weapon. He felt the same, when he tried to feel the body of the shield itself.

'_Looks like Nitori did a good work adding a realistic layer for millennia of wearing out._' Richard thought to himself with a satisfied smile. '_Anyway, these weapons... will be key to challenging the Valkyria at their own game._'

He then slowly made his way to the enemy base camp as he said, while making sure that the enemy soldiers in the large area were completely annihilated, and that the light tanks were left for Marisa and Largo to deal with.

Speaking of both of them, they slowly walked through the sandstorm, covering and squinting their eyes from the flying sand, before they managed to make out the dull glow of ragnite-powered radiator plates, presumably of a Imperial tank.

"Looks like we found one!" Marisa shouted through the raging sounds of the storm. "I'm taking this one, old man!"

She then levelled her Lance, as she aimed carefully at the glowing blue spot in the storm, before firing the rocket at it. When it touched the spot, the light faded, and was replaced by a much large muffled light from a explosion, which caused Marisa to whoop in triumph. "Got it!" Marisa exclaimed.

Largo managed to see it, while he continued to move, and find another tank from the glowing lights of the radiator plates. He then fired his lance, which hit the target like Marisa did, as it caused another of the tanks to explode. "All right!" Largo shouted.

The sandstorm soon dissipated, although when it did, Richard was standing in the enemy base camp, looking a lot more sandier than he was, but completely free of any enemies. The only remaining Imperial forces in the area was a lone Imperial light tank, and a Imperial stormtrooper.

Alicia and Gus moved up and took out the Imperial stormtrooper, and Marisa and Largo both fired their Lances to destroy the tank at almost the same time, clearing the enemy from the battlefield. Richard then tore down the Imperial banner of the main base, and replaced it with the Gallian banner.

"We managed to do it!" Richard exclaimed. "The enemy main base is ours! We've routed them!"

"Alright, squad, gather up. We'll make our way onwards." Welkin ordered.

* * *

_At the ancient ruins in Barious Desert..._

The group of Squad 7 officers look up to the large curved building before them, as no-one speaks for a moment.

"Huh? What's this supposed to be?" Largo asked in curiosity.

"What a weird place for something like this!" Rosie remarked, amazed at the ruins.

"It looks like some sort of temple to me." Richard added. "Seems like that the Imperials might be after this place."

Soon, Faldio arrives at the ruins as well, as he addresses everyone. "There you all are." He stated.

"Hey there, Faldio. I didn't know you were out there too." Welkin responded back with a friendly smile.

"I'm a archeology major, remember? I was ordered to observe the ruins' interior." Faldio replied.

"The shape of it really is unusual. I've never seen anything like it." Alicia hummed, still looking at the ruined building in front.

"I feel like I've seen it before, somewhere... Hm... Where could it have been?" Welkin wondered.

"This building was supposedly erected millennia ago by the Valkyrur themselves." Faldio explained.

"So they actually existed then?" Isara asked, from the tank's hatch.

"Yes. The Valkyrur made a sudden appearance in European history, thousands of years ago." Faldio confirmed. "Records say that they brought with them incredibly advanced technology, and 'divine might'. Then one day, their history just ends. The Valkyrur just disappeared."

"I always thought they are just a myth." Alicia muttered.

Sanae shot a look of pity towards Alicia, before she then turned away, muttering something under her breath in a grief-filled tone.

"...That's it! I remember now!" Welkin exclaimed.

"Remember what, Welkin? What are you shouting about?" Alicia asked back.

"The dreadnautilus! This structure looks just like a dread-nautilus!"

"A dread... nautilus? What's that?" Alicia asked, confused about Welkin's statement.

"You don't know? They're marine cephalopods. They live inside pointed sprial shells." Welkin explained back to her. "And these ruins look just like that shell. I wonder if... there's some connection there?"

"Well, it does look like some sort of shell a slug or snail, that I know." Marisa shrugged.

"Welkin, you can be such a..." Alicia moaned, as she face-palmed at Welkin's blatant desire to explain everything in terms of zoology.

"Hm? What's up?" Welkin asked, noticing the expression, but not affected by it.

"Nothing, forget it." Alicia shook her head and sighed.

"Right, let's take a look inside them. We may find some clues to why the Empire is out here." Faldio told everyone.

"Alicia, I want you to come help Faldio and me look around inside." Welkin told them. "Everyone else, stay here. Be on the lookout for movement in the area."

"All right, sir. Please be careful." Isara respectfully acknowledged the order.

"Wait, I'm coming too!" Richard exclaimed, as he ran up to Welkin. "If there are Imperials in there, Alicia won't be enough to drive the enemy away. I'll help escort all of you through the ruins."

"Rain? But aren't you worried about the fact that a Darcsen like you would be averse to going in Valkyrur ruins?" Welkin asked with hesitation, before he saw Richard nodded determinedly back. "Alright, you can come along and help us through, Rain. But wait, what's that thing on your back?"

Richard briefly flicked his eyes back to the rusted weapons on his back, before then looking back at Welkin. "Some sort of feudal weapon I guess. I found it when I ran through that desert in the sand-storm. I felt something when I walked across a certain spot, and that's how I found this thing. It looks rusted enough to say its centuries, if not millennia old." He explained to the young commander. "I'm keeping it on me. Somehow, I feel like this thing fits with me."

"Hm... I see. Come, let's go." Welkin stated, as he and Faldio, Alicia, and Richard entered through the large entrance.

* * *

_Inside the Barious Desert Valkyrur ruins..._

The exploration group enter the inner halls of the ruins, which were more intact than the outer ruins. Everyone was looking around, as they examined the larg hallway surrounding them.

"Whoa... I don't know what I expected, but it really wasn't this!" Alicia exclaimed in astonishment at the sights of traces of ancient culture, such as writing on walls and runes on the overarching supports.

"Amazing, isn't it? I was surprised when I first came here, too." Faldio remarked.

"Wait, you have been here before, Faldio?" Richard asked openly, turning to Welkin's friend.

"Several times, actually. That's why I offered to help guide you through them." Faldio answered back.

"It's... There aren't any windows or sky-lights here, but it's still so bright here..." Alicia said.

"The ruins are made of stones with a high ragnite concentration. It light itself." Faldio responded to Alicia.

"Look at this." Welkin stated, as he was in front of one of the tablets with the ancient language written over it. "Something's written on the wall here."

"It's in Old Northern script." Faldio explained. "It was the dominant writing system in Europa. You still see it on a lot of old monuments."

"Do you know how to read it, Faldio?" Alicia inquired.

"Yeah. We just covered it this last year." Faldio chuckled, as he walked over and scanned the wording. "Let's take a look. It's more or less a recounting of the Darcsen Calamity as the history books tell it. The Darcsens unlocked some secret property of ragnite and tried to conquer the continent. 'A hundred cities razed its fell light; ten hundred thousand men and beast therewith.' It says this area used to be one of the cities lost in the purge as well."

"So they did use ragnite..." Alicia muttered.

Richard looked away, with a slightly solemn expression, as Welkin took note of it, but didn't react to it, and turning back to Faldio.

"It was in the middle of that destruction, that the Valkyrur suddenly came into the picture. Supposedly, they rose to face the Darcsens, armed with sacred lances blue with flame. That became the War of the Valkyrur." Faldio continued on.

"I had a picture book about that as a girl. But it's fiction, right? Like a fairy tale." Alicia interjected.

"Ruins like these dot the European map, traces of the culture that once ruled the continent." Faldio argued. "The majority of the anthropological community now agrees that the Valkyrur did exist."

"Wow, this is so educational!" Welkin exclaimed.

Faldio turned around to face the group again. "The Valkyrur won and rose to power, while the Darcsens were scattered across Europa." He stated. "There are some who worship the Valkyrur as the saviours of Europa even today. Meanwhile, the Darcsens got branded with the stigma of their past and were persecuted for it. With no land of their own, they had to work as itinerant labourers and ragnite miners."

"Which is why there are so many Darcsens still working in the industrial sector today." Welkin reasoned from the information.

"I never knew that... Come to think of it, Isara's dad was an engineer, wasn't he?" Alicia pondered, before she turned to Richard. "Rain, have you..."

"No..." Richard shook his head. "Although I was slightly discriminated in my years as a village citizen, I was never unfairly put to work by the others. In fact, I did work on my own volition, and none of it was back-breaking like ragnite mining. But still... It leaves a bad feeling to hear that it was because of all of this, that my entire race was discriminated... I only wished the people could understand that we Darcsens have mostly atoned for the actions of the past. Like myself..."

"Rain..." Welkin muttered in worry. "Just because your ancestors were considered to be unworthy of praise and respect, doesn't mean the same to you. You are no more similar to the Darcsens of the past, than any country would be to their ancient war-seeking counterparts. There is no need to concern yourself over the past. What matters, is what you have done for the people, and that's all I need from you."

"Welkin... Thank you." Richard answered back, with a slightly comforted smile.

"Anyway, that's enough history for today. Let's keep checking for Imperial tracks." Faldio stated.

Everyone then continued on through the ruins, until they encountered a large circular door, which had runes engraved around the edges, as well as spiralling sections that overlapped one-another, as each ring was in opposite direction of its neighbouring rings.

"Faldio, what is that?" Welkin asked, about the strange door before them.

"It's called the Valkyrian Spiral." Faldio answered back briefly.

"Okay, so, what is it?" Welkin replied back.

"I was talking about their power before, remember? The sacred blue flame?" Faldio reminded Welkin. "The spiral motif on their relief carvings are said to represent inexhaustible power."

"Ah, I didn't know that." Welkin hummed, placing a hand on his chin in thought.

"Still, we haven't seen any Imperials here. Not even any signs of entry." Faldio examined the nearby area. "I guess it's possible that this wasn't what brought the Empire out here."

"Well, the others are waiting. Let's go back." Welkin stated, as Alicia and Richard walked up to the spiral door.

"Sure, let's go." Faldio agreed, as both of them turned to leave.

Richard gingerly felt around the edges of the door, before he then took it off with a shake of his hand, as he stepped. When Alicia touched the door herself, there was a brief burst of faint blue light from her body, as it interacted with the door, as the spiralling sections folded away one-by-one, creating grinding noises that caused Welkin and Faldio to turn back around on their heels hearing the sounds.

"Huh!?" Alicia exclaimed.

"The door... opened to... Alicia?" Richard said with shock.

"What in the...!?" Faldio exclaimed, as they both jogged back to in front of the now-open path.

"Alicia, what just happened?" Welkin asked hastily.

"I-I don't know! I barely even touched it and the door just opened!" Alicia stuttered with a hand to her mouth in shock.

Faldio looked at Alicia with a look of surprise, while Welkin noticed that there was a passage behind the door.

"It looks like it keeps going." Welkin noted.

"An underground chamber in the Barious ruins... This is a huge discovery!" Faldio exclaimed with surprise.

"...Should we go in?" Alicia asked.

"Do you have to ask?" Faldio questioned back.

"All right, let's take a look." Welkin agreed.

"I'll go in first." Richard stated, as he entered the dark passageway, walking through the darkness without any hesitation or fear. Everyone else followed after, as they soon pulled out their flashlights, as Richard activated the one he mounted to his weapon.

As they continued through the empty corridor, they soon ended up in a tall cylindrical room, where there were stairs spiralling down into the lower levels. And in the middle of the room, was a large pillar with spiralling groves on it.

"Whoa..." Welkin muttered. "What is this place?"

"It looks like a large tower, connecting the sections of the ruins together..." Richard theorised about the room's purpose.

"It seems like it goes on forever." Alicia remarked, looking down from the stairs, as they spiralled into the dark abyss below.

Faldio then walked over a bit, until he found a series of ancients engraving on one of the walls, as he placed his flashlight on it.

"Wow! Look at this wall!" Faldio exclaimed. "Amazing!"

"There are engravings everywhere." Welkin stated. "What do they say, Faldio?"

"I'm not sure. I wish I could tell you. They're too ancient for me to decipher." Faldio answered back.

Before Welkin could continue, Richard and Alicia heard footsteps echo from within the room itself, as it was getting louder and louder, as if the source was coming closer. Alicia looked over the edge of the stairs, as she could see the silhouettes of figures moving up the stairs.

"Welkin... Faldio... Rain... We're not... alone." Alicia stated, as Faldio and Welkin turned to her.

"Something tells me that the Imperials have some sort of way to come in here, like we did." Richard stated, as he cocked his weapon at the ready. "Whatever Alicia did, the same happy coincidence worked with whatever Imperial group came here as well. But Faldio, you said that this Valkyrian Seal seems like it only opens under certain conditions... When I touched it, it didn't react to me. But Alicia... Alicia's touch seemed to change its state somehow."

Faldio didn't reply to Richard, and instead swivelled his flashlight in the path in front of them. "Who's there!?" Faldio shouted.

There was no response, as the sound of footsteps grew closer and closer, until from the light from Faldio's flashlight, two figures stepped into their view. One of them was a man with sharp blue eyes, short wavy blonde hair with a golden laurel on his head. He was dressed in a white royal officer outfit, with yellow shoulderpads with tussels, a long white cape with a red velvet interior, and a golden round buckle on the front of his waist. The other figure was a slender girl with blood-red eyes, and long silver hair that flowed behind her back, dressed in a black female officer outfit, with long black boots. She also had a ceremonial rapier on her waist, and in her right hand was a large spiralled lance, with a round handle, and a winged hilt on the bottom.

"Well..." The man spoke in a calm and slightly condescending voice. "How surprising to find you here. We don't get many visitors."

Richard's eyes immediately widened, when he saw the female of the newcomer duo, as his grip on the gun shook. "Valkyria... No doubt about it...!" Richard stated.

The female looked back at Richard, with a slightly surprised expression, mixed with some suspicion.

"I won't ask how you were able to break in." The man continued. "It's not really important, but you defile this sanctum with your presence."

"You're... You're Prince Maximilian Gaius Von Reginrave of the Empire, isn't that right?" Richard asked with a slightly cautious tone. "I know that attire and face, when I have seen it several times before..."

"What of it, Darcsen soldier?" Maximilian asked with a unamused tone. "Are you here to persecute me for the Empire's Darcsen Hunts?"

"I judge the ruler, not by the actions of his kingdom." Richard spoke with a humble tone.

"Hmph. A pointless thought. Stand aside." Maximilian barked.

Richard and the others moved aside, as Maximilian walked past them with his female partner..

"Maximillian? But he's the enemy commander." Alicia muttered.

"Alicia, do not-" Richard harshly whispered to her, although his words fell into deaf ears.

Alicia immediately pulled out her side-arm, a pistol, and cocked it while pointing at the Imperial duo. "Hold it right there! You take one more step, and I'll shoot you down! I swear I will!" She clearly threatened Maximillian and his escort.

"Damnit, Alicia! That's a Valkyria that you're messing with!" Richard shouted, as he raised his weapon as well. "A side-arm like a pistol, isn't going to do anything to her!"

The female Imperial immediately swung around, with her strange lance raised for battle, as blue ethereal flames began to emit around her, as her hair began to float up.

"Uh... What...?" Alicia blurted, in response to the situation.

"That confirms it, right, Faldio? She has to be a Valkyria." Richard stated.

"Lower your weapons. Your lives are worthless to me, but I do not wish to stain this sacred place with blood." Maximilian demanded, as he gave them a side-glance.

The female Imperial's eyes also glowed threateningly, to fortify the point of her partner.

"If you do not desire for blood to be split, tell your Valkyria partner to stand down." Richard responded back with a steely tone. "I will not put down my weapon in the face of certain danger."

"Perhaps you aren't as barbaric as your ancestors were." Maximilian scoffed. "If you are determined to have this confrontation, why don't we settle it outside."

"As you wish." Richard answered back with a determined look on his face. "I am nothing like my warmongering ancestors. I care more about my friends, than petty conflict."

The female Imperial continued to glare at Richard and Alicia, before she noted the rusted weapon on Richard's back, which seemed to further her curiosity of Richard.

"What... is that weapon of yours...? And where did you find it?" She asked Richard, who didn't reply back.

"Welkin..." Alicia said.

"...Welkin? So you're the brat who's responsible. My compliments for the Vasel bridge and the base in Kloden. You've quite impressed Jaeger, he was singing your praises, boy. Selvaria... come."

"Sir...!" Selvaria exclaimed, as the blue flames disappeared, and the red glow in her eyes disappeared. When she turned around, she gave Richard one last glare. "I will find the truth about you soon enough, Darcsen. That weapon of yours... It possesses a power that rivals that of a Valkyria."

Both Maximilian and Selvaria left, as Alicia withdrew her pistol, and Richard lowered his weapon, with a deep sigh of relief.

"Now's our chance to take out their commander!" Alicia exclaimed.

"She's right, Faldio. Let's go!" Welkin stated.

The group then moved to leave the room, as Faldio looked at Richard.

"'Power that rivals that of a Valkyria...'" Faldio repeated what he heard. "Rain... What have you managed to discover among the ruins...?"

* * *

_Outside the Barious ruins..._

"I've been looking, but I still ain't seen nothing but sand." Largo sighed, as the officers of Squad 7, and Richard's team were patrolling the surrounding area. "Those Imps got some strange tastes if they're sunning themselves out here."

Rosie silently looked around, with an irritated expression, which Largo noticed.

"What's got you, Rosie? Ain't like you to be so quiet. You got the runs or something?" Largo asked his squadmate.

"You're foul, Largo. And I'm just annoyed." Rosie grumbled, as she looked at a patch of land that was blown apart. "Takes some kinda brass to blow up a chunk of turf that big, don't you think? Looks like the dark-hairs have been bad news for the rest of us folks since day one."

"What do you mean by that?" Isara asked, with a offended tone.

"Pfft! What do you think I mean?" Rosie scoffed back.

"No archaeological proof exists to support that Darcsens destroyed Barious." Isara argued.

"Look around! How much more proof do you need?" Rosie lashed out to Isara.

"And it's an unfair generalisation to assume that all Darcsens cause trouble for others." Isara continued.

"And besides, the only 'dark-hairs' here are actual good ones! Rain's a real good friend, and Isara is a dutiful engineer and tank driver!" Sanae raised her point as well.

"You saying you don't, both of you!?" Rosie growled back to both of them. "Look, it's because of you people that I... that my whole family was-"

"Enough with the sob story." Marisa butted in with a fuming tone. "So what if Darcsens were responsible for your family getting killed. That makes it fine to go hating every Darcsen, good or bad, without any explanation why? Grow the hell up!"

"Don't go lecturing me!" Rosie roared back. "You're just saying that because your friend is a dark-hair!"

"And does that matter the hell at all!?" Marisa shouted back. "This kind of shit is why I detest people like you, Miss Drama Queen! You haven't even got the worst of it! The Imperials don't give half a damn about the people not of their glorious and mighty Empire. They tried to gun them down without any mercy! There are many goddamn people who would have felt the same, except they have the decency to accept that a bad egg doesn't spoil the entire bunch, unlike your single-minded head!"

"Say that again, I dare you!" Rosie screamed, as she stomped forward.

"Single-minded bitch! That's all you are! The only reason you're even on this squad, is because Rain and Welkin feel sorry for your ungrateful-" Marisa shouted back, before Reisen covered her mouth to muffle herself, while Largo stood between the two of them.

"All right, time out, you two." Largo stated firmly, as Marisa was kicking and squirming in Reisen's grip, muffling angrily the entire time.

"You stay out of this, Largo!" Rosie hissed, to which Marisa let out a sharp muffle in response, which sounded like a curse.

"We're on patrol here. You keep squawking, the both of you and we're likely to get sniped." Largo warned them.

"...Tch." Rosie clicked her tongue in annoyance, before glaring daggers at Isara and Marisa, before she walked away. "This isn't over."

After Rosie was far enough, Reisen immediately let out of Marisa, as the blonde-haired Lancer panted heavily, to catch her breath.

"You know Rosie's got a temper on her. She wouldn't go off if you two didn't press her buttons like that." Largo remarked.

"Don't try to make this your own problem, Largo. I personally don't give a damn to what she does, so long as she stops trying to mutter slurs and curses behind my friend's back. Rain has been through a lot. He doesn't need this at all. And if you won't put a stop to it, I will, so either man up, or butt out." Marisa scowled, before she walked in the opposite direction.

Isara didn't say anything, as she shook her head gently.

"Sigh... You two are stubborn as mules..." Largo sighed deeply.

When the patrol was done, and they arrived back where the Edelweiss was parked, the group saw Richard, Alicia and Welkin come out in a sprint.

"Everyone, prepare for battle." Richard stated. "The Empire supreme commander himself, Prince Maximilian, is leading the Imperial troops here. We need to prepare for a long and difficult battle."

"We need everyone to be prepared at the moment. We'll head back to base, and determine our next course of action for the battle to come." Welkin added.

First Team: Rain, Vyse, Rosie, Sally, Edelweiss

Second Team: Remy, Mari, Gus, Edy, Largo, Hector, Alicia

* * *

_In front of the Barious ruins..._

The two teams took their positions, as the addition of Hector, who was a slightly bulky male Lancer, with dark brown straight hair and a white bandana that is covered by his hair, as well as brown eyes, was standing with the others, as part of the Lancer-focused team.

"You ready for this, Welkin?" Richard asked back. "We got our intel from Captain Varrot, about who we're facing. But that doesn't mean that we'll have everything we need to win this battle. I mean... Some of the information there, is a little... concerning."

"We have to fight back, Rain." Welkin responded back. "That tank is our target. Even if we don't capture or slay the enemy commander here, we can at least weaken their forces considerably by destroying their super-heavy tank. We have to stop it, or it'll wipe even more of our regiment away! Squad 7, move out!"

Welkin then entered the Edelweiss, as it revved to life, while everyone immediately scrambled for cover, preparing for the advance of the Imperials. As they did come, a gigantic tank, the size of a small house, rolled into the area, with large domed machine-gun turrets on the front and sides of the tank, as well as a large cannon on its front, and a secondary cannon pointed to its back. It also had ladders attached to the sides, to allow access to the tank's upper hatches.

"Heh heh heh... Now, dear Gallians, flee or be crushed underfoot of the Batomys!" Maximilian cackled from the tank's intercoms, as it then stopped between two small cliffs.

"Welkin, take a look at that tank!" Alicia exclaimed.

"Holy... With armour like that, I don't figure my anti-tank lance'll do much good." Largo muttered with worry.

"And I don't like the look of that cannon. Standing in front of that thing's a bad idea." Rosie noted from the swivelling turrets that were around the tank.

"Agreed." Sanae stated, before she gulped in slight fear.

"Let's watch and wait for now. It has to have some kind of weak-point." Welkin told everyone.

"Wait, what about the machine-gun turrets?" Richard asked. "If the main body's armour is too strong, then what about the armour of the turrets? Would our current Lances be able to penetrate that?"

"Yeah... Looks like it's not much trouble to do so." Largo responded back. "Might as well try."

"If we can destroy these, we can effectively deny that tank's ability to suppress our foot soldiers." Richard explained. "After that, we'll see if there is a actual way to deal with it."

"A sound idea, Rain." Welkin stated. "Lancers, until further notice, aim for the tank's turrets, and help the others get through its attacks!"

"You got it, Welkin!" Marisa shouted.

"Alright, boss-man." Largo nodded.

"I'll get it done, sir!" Hector responded back in a gruff voice, as he tapped the back of his Lance on the ground.

"The rest of us will need to protect the Edelweiss and the Lancers while they weaken the enemy tank for us." Richard stated. "Everyone ready?"

"Hmph, don't need you telling me." Rosie grumbled.

"We'll take care of them!" Vyse responded back.

"Time for me to shine, like a true star on this battlefield!" Edy giggled.

"I'll make sure that everyone will have some cover from me." Reisen stated.

"I'll go first!" Alicia stated, as she immediately moved, while Gus followed after her. "Gus?"

"We'll be able to cover more of the area if we both go separately." Gus stated. "Don't worry about me, I'll take care of myself."

The two of them immediately moved up and around to the top of one of the cliffs, as Gus dodged enemy fire, returning the shots with a few from his rifle, taking off a few of the Imperial soldiers, as he immediately doubled back to take cover in one of the natural trenches. Alicia managed to find a sniper, as she shot them down before they could try and shoot her with the sniper rifle in close-range.

After the scouts of the squad made their moves, the stormtroopers from the first team immediately marched out of their initial position, sprinting across the sands. This attracted the attention of one of the turrets in front of the large enemy tank, as it fired on the group. Some of the shots managed to hit the moving squadmates on their body, although their armour managed to negate most of the damage dealt to them.

"Now, guys! While the turret has it's attention focused on us!" Richard cried out to the lancers.

"Got it! We'll get that turret down in no time!" Marisa exclaimed, as she set her lance at the ready, before she fired a rocket that impacted the turret, damaging it, as it stopped momentarily, trying to determine the source of the attack. Largo and Hector followed up with their own rockets, as both of their rockets managed to precisely hit the turret, blowing it apart and leaving the tank with one less defence.

The storm-troopers immediately made for one of the nearest trenches, as they hunkered down inside of it. The Edelweiss then rolled across the area, as Sanae followed after it. It then aimed its cannon to a group of Imperial soldiers, who were standing on top of one of the cliffs, and fired off a mortar shot that blew the enemy group away. Sanae immediately stuck to the side of the Gallian tank, as she readied her rifle for interception fire.

The lancers remained as they were, taking cover, in case if any more Imperial soldiers would come their way to attack them, as they slowly reloaded their lancers for another shot.

The remaining Imperials advanced, although some of them actually ran into interception fire from Gus, Alicia and Edy, who gunned them down before they could get a good shot of the retaliating soldiers.

Suddenly, the large tank began to move, as it rolled across the area, before it made its way to where the first camp occupied by the Gallian forces were, stopping half-way and pointing its way towards it. The turrets then immediately locked onto the targets, as they fired on any of the squadmates that were in view, as everyone was forced to keep their heads low from the torrent of fire coming from them. After it stopped, there was no other response from the tank.

"What is that large tank doing?" Welkin pondered. "It seems to be advancing, but it's not firing at all. Even if we all are out of the tank's firing range, or behind enough cover to avoid a direct hit... It shouldn't be acting so little."

"I have a bad feeling..." Richard muttered. "It's pointing at the camp where our lancers are. We might want them to get out of there, risking MG fire or not."

"It does seem to be a little off." Welkin agreed. "Lancers, make our way south, and be careful not to trigger turret fire!"

The lancers immediately acknowledged the command, as they dived into trenches, when they were within leaping range of any of them, managing to avoid turret fire aimed at them. When they looked back up, they managed to have sight on two more of the turrets, as they fired their lances once again, as it managed to damage both of the turrets on this side of the tank.

The Edelweiss immediately made its own attack on the large Imperial Tank, as it managed to fire off a anti-armour cannon round, that managed to severely damage one of the turrets on the other side. As it did so, it moved along to the side of the large Imperial tank, staying out of range of both cannons on the enemy tank, while Sanae kept herself covered behind the tank, afraid that the turrets on the tank might target her if she even tried to come out.

Without any more footsoldiers to support it, the giant Imperial tank advanced alone, and yet it did not seem like that it needed any other forces to be a considerable threat, because as it advanced, it crashed into the Gallian camp, trampling the entire area, and the banner under its monstrous treads.

"What the...!?" Rosie exclaimed. "He just... ran that camp down, like he didn't care about it!"

"Heh heh heh... Capturing a camp is for the feeble." Maximilian mocked from the tank. "A needless bother when it can be crushed outright!"

"That bastard... He's trying to push us back by denying us our camps. We can't even capture them, when they've been destroyed!" Richard growled.

"Grr... He's just going to mow our camps down like that...!" Welkin said as well.

"Keep your head, Lieutenant. That desert is covered by parts of standing ruins." Varrot told Welkin from the tank comms. "If you shell unstable walls, fragments may fall and block the enemy tank's progress."

"Roger that... I'll give it a try!" Welkin exclaimed, before opening a channel to the squad. "Any of you guys can see any unstable walls that can impede the enemy tank?"

"I'll look for them." Gus stated, as he pulled out his own binoculars, and scanned the entire area. After he seen all of the surroundings, he immediately reported back. "I found some. Mark these positions for potential targets: 2,1. 2.5,1.5. That's all the broken walls that I can see, Welkin."

"Got it, thank you for the information, Gus." Welkin stated.

"The team east of the temple is in bad shape. Some woman is sending up some major fireworks." Varrot continued with a worried tone. "At this rate, they'll be forced to withdraw."

"I understand, Captain. We'll try to hold our ground here." Welkin responded back, before opening comms with the entire squad. "All right, let's slow that behemoth with as much rubble as we can throw in front of it!"

"Right, boss-man. If we can force it to detour, we'll have more time to deal with it." Largo stated. "But first, those turrets..."

Largo and the other lancers immediately moved up to make their next attack on the turrets, as they managed to destroy both of the left side turrets with their coordinated assault, although they suffered some damage in return from the retaliatory fire of the doomed turrets. The Edelweiss also continued its assault on the tank, as it was unaffected by the rapid fire of turrets on it, as its next cannon shot took out the damage turret, as it slowly moved around, with Sanae following around.

The Imperial tank then began to advance again, as it slowly moved past the flattened camp, before it then stopped in front of a large collapsed ruin wall that was blocking its path. Undeterred by the obstacle, the main cannon immediately aimed itself at the ruin wall, before firing a massive cannon shot that blew the ruin wall to pieces, clearing its path. However, after doing so, three large radiators blocks appeared on top of the tank, two on the sides, and one on the back.

"Augh... That main cannon is lethal!" Welkin groaned, seeing the force of the enemy tank's cannon. "There must be some way to stop that thing."

"Welks, look at that!" Isara shouted, as she saw the radiators blocks protruding from the tank's top.

"What are those? They're sticking up out of the top of the tank." Welkin asked his sister.

"They're radiators, like the ones we have for the standard-issue tanks." Isara explained. "But on this tank, they're more like heat sinks for dissipating the temperature of the ragnite fuel cell in it. They must be using it to cool the cannon after firing it."

"So if we destroy all of them, that big tank should explode due to the build-up of heat and pressure, like any ordinary one?" Marisa questioned Isara.

"I don't think so. But if we destroy them, it should at least greatly upset the tank's function and stability." Isara anaswered the question.

"Alright, that's good enough. It should make that damn thing more weaker than it should be." Marisa stated. "And I think that I can see ladders that we can use to get up there. If we climb them, we should get a clear shot of those things."

"And with those turrets down, I think that we should have a safe trip to get on top of that tank!" Vyse remarked. "Heck yeah, time to put this big bad beast into the ground!"

"I think that I should take care of those things as well. I guess a grenade in the right place should blow them to pieces." Rosie stated. "Either way, can't afford to sit around and wait while the enemy is showing weakness."

"Hold on, there's still some turrets on this thing. I wouldn't start going at it, until we've taken the rest of them first." Largo warned everyone. "Let us finish our work first."

Largo and the other lancers immediately moved into position, as they fired off the shots to destroy the remaining turrets, as Largo cheered in triumph. "Hah! All taken care of, you guys are free to get up there. Don't waste time, who knows when those radiators of theirs will go back down into protection."

Hearing Largo's words, Gus, Alicia, Vyse and Edy climbed atop the tank, as they were in the alcoves that looked over each of the radiators. They immediately fired their weapons at the glowing radiators, dealing some damage to them, although it was nothing compared to if a direct shot from the lances hit it.

"This isn't working..." Alicia muttered. "Our guns cannot penetrate the thick plating that's protecting the radiators, to deal damage to the entire thing..."

"Then use the grenades! If your guns don't work, then you'll need something explosive! That's why I had the idea of using a grenade on that thing!" Rosie criticised the group. "Grenades might be good for blowing cover and people, but I know that this thing can do the same job if it lands in the right place! Just try to aim carefully, so that you manage to get a crippling hit in!"

"Grenades...? The lancers will need time to reload, and get here by foot. So there might not be enough time..." Alicia muttered, as she unclipped one of the hand grenades. "Here goes...!"

She then did a strong overhead throw, lobbing the grenade right into the glowing opening on top of the targeted radiator, as it landed inside with a few metallic clinks, before it then exploded, ruining parts of the internal structure of the radiator, as smoke arose from the damaged radiator.

"It worked...!" Alicia gasped. "Thank you, Rosie."

"Ah, you're welcome. Just make sure you do the job right." Rosie smirked back with a prideful tone.

"Well, now it's my turn!" Vyse exclaimed, as he pulled out a grenade of his own. "I hope this gives you fiery indigestion in your damn radiators, you overgrown metallic beast!"

"Prepare for a dazzling blast courtesy of the idol of this legendary squad~" Edy giggled, as she immediately swung a grenade into the radiator.

Both grenades managed to land inside the radiators, and damaging the radiators the same extent as Alicia's did.

"Alicia! I'll finish this for you!" Gus shouted, as he immediately threw a second grenade into the already-damaged radiator. The grenade from Gus managed to finish the job, as it immediately exploded into pieces, as sparks of electricity flowed from the former site of the component.

"That leaves two radiators! Keep it up, 7's!" Welkin praised the squad. "Be careful, if Imperials might come out of the tank, they might try to get you guys off the top of the tank!"

"Lieutenant, Squads 1 and 3 have suffered heavy casualities out east. I'm ordering them to pull out immediately." Varrot solemnly informed the entire squad, through the comms. "I'm sorry, but the enemy is too great for them.

"Welkin... It's me, Faldio. I'm sorry, but we couldn't do a single thing against her." Faldio stated with a defeated tone. "She had a spiral lance and shield. They... They were the arms of a Valkyria. Welkin... She tore through our entire force like they were nothing..."

Richard grit his teeth, as he knew that Selvaria would easily decimate the Gallian forces, without any equal force to keep her occupied from the other troops.

"It's likely that her unit will be arriving in the area soon, as backup to the enemy commander." Varrot continued. "So do not, I repeat, do not engage her! Now hurry up and stop the tank, before the reinforcements arrive!"

"Understood!" Welkin acknowledged. "We need those radiators out, NOW, 7's!"

"I'll go get the walls, you guys take care of the tank!" Hector told the other two lancers, as he moved to where the various unstable walls were, as he started his work, by using a rocket shot to cause one to fall in the path of the second Gallian camp, acting as a obstacle between the moving fortress and the vulnerable camp.

The radiators atop of the tank immediately slid back down into the inside of the tanks, as the Gallian soldiers on top of it immediately fell prone on the ground, as they stuck to the top of the tank as tightly as they could, to avoid getting slid off of it, when it began to move.

Richard immediately moved for the trenches on the east side, as he slowly moved up to where Sanae and Remy were taking cover, inside one of the trenches.

"Rain? What are you doing here!?" Sanae exclaimed.

"I need to get to the east side, ASAP!" Richard shouted back. "Sally, I need a ammo resupply. Give me as much ammo as you can, because I'm going to need every single bullet."

"Rain... Alright, I'll give you all I got." Sanae stated, as she immediately produced several clips filled with sub-machine gun ammo. "I don't know what you're planning, but don't do anything rash."

Richard didn't respond to that, as he immediately got to reloading his gun, as the used clip dropped to the ground, as he transferred individual bullets between an intact one and the clip he was using.

The giant Imperial tank fired once again, as it exposed the damaged radiators once again, except this time, it was in range of the lancers.

"I think I got a clear shot on their reactor from here!" Marisa exclaimed. "You guys, get off the tank!"

The Gallian solders on top of the large tank immediately complied, as they clambered down the ladders placed on the sides of the tank. When Marisa was sure that she wouldn't be able to hit anyone in the case of a misfire, she immediately locked her elbows and braced herself, as she fired a rocket right into the damaged radiator, destroying it.

"Score one for the blonde destroyer!" Marisa cheered.

However, her cheers were interrupted, when there was the loud sounds of troops mobilising to the east, as a group of Imperial soldiers appeared from the northwest direction. And amongst the group was Selvaria herself, in full Valkyrian glory, lance and shield at the ready, and her aura of azure flames and crimson eyes being very prominent on her appearance.

"Rgh... Backup troops have arrived... What's worse, is that it's the Valkyria from the Imperial army that we met in the ruins..." Welkin cursed under his breath. "If the reports are true, we can't beat it. Everyone, focus on that last radiator, before it falls back into the tank! We cannot afford to let it fire again, while the Valkyria is on the battlefield!"

Richard immediately rose, as Sanae finally figured out what Richard was going to do.

"Wait, Rain... You're seriously aren't going to try to-" Sanae spoke with apparent horror in her expression and voice.

"This is Rain, I'm engaging the Valkyria and her escorts!" Richard exclaimed. "Everyone, focus on the enemy tank and get it destroyed as quickly as possible."

"'What the what!? Are you crazy, Rain!?" Vyse exclaimed, as he rushed up to Richard with a horrified expression as well. "You're going alone up against a monster like her!? Jeez, I may be a battle junkie, but this is just too much to contest with, even for me!"

"Rain! You can't! The Captain strictly ordered you not to engage the Valkyria in battle! We'll try to destroy the enemy tank before she can inflict severe causalities on us!"

"I hate to retort back to you, Welkin, but unless we keep her occupied, she'll tear everyone apart by her lonesome." Richard coldly stated back to his lieutenant. "The only way we can walk away from this relatively unscathed, is if someone plays the decoy that keeps her at bay. Surely her Valkyrian powers have a limit to how much they protect her, otherwise she wouldn't be so carefully used by the Prince."

"Even so, I cannot agree to this! You can't just throw your life away like that, Rain!" Welkin shouted back.

"Listen to me, Welkin!" Richard snarled back. "It's either I risk my life to keep her at bay for even a few mere moments, or that everyone will get annihilated by her power! Don't let your sentiments cloud your judgement! I'm not running into certain death, as long as there is a chance I will survive, even with how slim it may be. Don't mistake the certainty of losing more men than just myself, with the sacrifice of one of your subordinates!"

"Rain... Don't do this..." Welkin muttered with a conflicted tone.

"I'm the only one who can handle her. Whatever that weapon on my back is, it might hold a key to defeating her, or at least weakening her enough to stop her momentarily. And besides, only a storm-trooper possesses the right kind of firepower to even come close to scratching her." Richard continued on. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that you all make it out safe, so please, don't undermine that kind of willpower, Welkin, please..."

"...Just don't die on us, Rain." Welkin spoke with a grim tone.

"Trust me... I won't go down so easily, even against a fabled Valkyria." Richard replied with a equally grim tone, before he turned to Vyse. "Vyse, your sub-machine gun."

"...What the... You're actually trying to dual-wield sub-machine guns!?" Vyse exclaimed with surprise. "Are you that skilled, or are you that crazy to try it!?"

"You'll get to see for yourself." Richard spoke, as Vyse reluctantly handed his weapon to Richard, as Richard immediately clasped the second gun in his other hand, as he weighed them against each other. When he was satisfied with his current method of gripping his weapons, he turned to everyone in the trench. "Everyone, fall back, and stay as far as you can from that Valkyria. You don't want to be in her sights. Only Remy would be able to get a clear shot of her, from a range safe enough to shoot at her precisely."

"...Got it." Gus stated, as he immediately moved towards the southern ends of the area, as everyone did the same, except for the lancers and the Edelweiss, who were tasked with finishing off the enemy tank.

"Dark-hair's crazy..." Rosie scoffed with disbelief. "Fighting a Valkyria on himself... just to give us time to deal with the enemy commander. And I wonder why I even care about him right now..."

Richard slowly advanced, before he then stopped at a certain spot, before hiding behind the low stairs to the ruins, before burying the second rifle, which he loaded himself to full capacity on the way,right under his foot, in a manner that the stock of the gun was resting on the top of his right foot. He also flipped open the ammo pouches on his waist, exposing the many ammo clips he collected from Sanae, and then pulled out a unlit grenade at the ready on his left hand.

He listened closely at the footsteps of the small handful of Imperial reinforcements, as they came closer and closer within his range. When he was sure that he could be able to launch a effective ambush at their current distance, he immediately twisted the head of the grenade, slightly 'cooking' it, before then throwing the half-lit explosive right into the enemy group, as it landed on the sands where they were, kicking up a massive burst of sand into the air, as it rained down on them, as well as the initial explosion dazing them slightly. Only Selvaria was unaffected, as she immediately raised her shield on her left arm to block the shockwave of the explosive.

Richard then sprung up, flicking his right foot, and knocking Vyse's gun right into the grasp of his other hand, as he let out a loud roar that shook the ears of the Imperial soldiers, as he fired wildly and aggressively into the cloud of sand brought up by his explosive, only stopping for a few seconds to eject the clips of the guns onto the sandy earth, and slam new ones from the open ammo pouches, using his knees to knock the clips into place, for another barrage of shots. The shots managed to take out the other soldiers, except Selvaria, who took the first few shots to her body, allowing her to discern where her enemy was firing from, as she used her shield to block the rest of the attacks.

Richard immediately threw Vyse's gun to the side, after having made sure that the rest of the Imperial reinforcements were down on the ground, before he barely reacted fast enough to notice Selvaria thrusting at him with her lance, as he immediately side-stepped enough to allow the lance from the vengeful female general brush past him harmlessly, as their eyes locked with each other, with Richard's eye burning with a spirit of defiance against the mighty opponent before him.

Selvaria then swung her lance around mid-charge, causing Richard to immediately back-flip on his hands, as the attack swung past where he was formerly standing. When both combatants straightened their posture, they found themselves at gun-point, or lance-point in Richard's case, from each other.

"I remember you." Selvaria stated coolly. "You were the Darcsen who stood by this squad's commanding officer, back in the ruins."

"And you were the Valkyria who opened the path into the Barious Ruins, for the Imperials." Richard response tersely. "A Darcsen and a Valkyria... standing against each other, like their races have once did several millennia ago."

"Then you should be aware of the outcome of this fight then." Selvaria stated. "Move aside, if you wish to live a little longer."

"Sorry, I won't be doing that." Richard stated, as he gripped his gun tighter. "My friends need to get the job done, and you're not going anywhere until you either give up, or you take me down. And trust me, Valkyria or not, I'm not backing down so easily."

"Then... DIE!" Selvaria growled, as she charged up her Valkyrian Lance, as the tip of the blue lance glowed, before she fired off a series of blue blasts in close-range.

Richard immediately dodge-rolled to the side, to avoid the first few blasts, before he then ran around Selvaria, as the latter was rotating around to shoot him, often ducking to avoid some shots that were aimed at his head. Seeing that her attacks weren't connecting with Richard, she scowled deeply.

However, she didn't have time to show her scorn, as Richard immediately shot at Selvaria at close-range as well, causing her to use her shield to block the barrage of shots pointed at her. She immediately backed away, as she didn't want to foolishly try to get too close to Richard, lest she leaves herself open for a attack she won't be able to block in time.

Meanwhile, the lancers immediately got to work on the radiator, as Hector brought another unstable ruin wall fragment into the Imperial tank's path, as they bid their time, waiting for the tank to fire again, and expose its only standing radiator to target.

Richard immediately reloaded the gun, while hopping back, as he was ready to fire again. Selvaria glared at Richard intensely, as she stood still for a moment.

"Why do you fight so feverishly for your militia squad-mates? To the point that you would blindly face me in battle?" Selvaria asked Richard, intrigued by Richard's courage and skill. "You know that trying to defeat a Valkyria like me is completely impossible for even your entire squad, let alone yourself. What point is there for stalling me, when I could easily wipe your friends away."

"That's the thing, Selvaria. War isn't about victory." Richard responded back. "I don't need to defeat you. I merely need to keep you busy, your full attention on me. You may be a Valkyria, but even the Valkyria have their own limits. You are not truly immortal, otherwise Gallia, no... Europa would have fallen to the Empire in the matter of a few weeks. Surely you admit that even with your enhanced physique in your current state, you would still fall to the bullet as much as your common man, is that not true?"

"You underestimate the potential of a Valkyria." Selvaria hissed back.

"No, it's you who overestimates the power of a Valkyria. You may be able to win battles that you partake, but not so much that you could help every single front at once. Where one front is advanced by you, another falls from the work of the elite squads of the opposition." Richard responded back with a even tone. "Only one Valkyria amongst the Empire that has taken on this conflict, and you expect to easily take victory. You believe that you're a true one-woman-army that could destroy every and all forces that come against you. Maybe so, in the perspective of the common soldier, but to someone who knows war back to front, the truth is apparent."

Selvaria's scowl grew much more deeper, as her heart began to feel vile hate at the Darcsen who dared to question her ability.

"Either way, a bullet to the head will kill you the same, no matter how much your strengthen the body." Richard spoke darkly, as he cocked his weapon. "If you were prudent, Selvaria of the Empire, I'd suggest you focus on the single opponent before you, rather than your own personal goals. I will kill you, Selvaria, and I will use everything I have to make sure you are either stalled or dead. You have yet to strike me, but neither have I managed to land a blow onto you. There is a stalemate between us, and if you want to get past it, you better take this seriously."

Selvaria's rage seared even more, as each statement infuriated her to no end. "Enough..." Selvaria icily stated. "I have no time to play games with you, Darcsen. If you so wish to see my true power, then I'll grant you your wish in full!"

She then charged her lance once again, except this time, only the tip glowed brightened than before, as if it was stockpiling energy into it. Richard, taking this as a warning, immediately fell prone to the ground, as Selvaria fired off a piercing laser that was too fast for him to dodge to the sides. He immediately shifted himself back, and fired another burst of shots, only for each one of them to be blocked by Selvaria's shield.

"How... How are you so nimble, as to nearly predict every single shot I make...?" Selvaria asked, her voice cooled down from her simmering tone before.

"I am no greenhorn, Valkyria. My friends and I have faced hails of bullets many times before, and yet we emerged with mere light wounds." Richard stated. "After having fought so long in the very midst of crossfires and assaults, I naturally developed a instinct to dodge as a mere reflex when I am targeted. The more dangerous a opponent is, the greater the effect of this 'knack' of mine. That lance of yours hold far more threat than yourself, and it was enough to make me evade by pure instinct."

Richard then got up, as he jostled a clip out of his ammo pouch, before ejecting the empty clip, and kicking the new one straight into the same slot, slightly impressing Selvaria, although she did not show it.

"Looks like our battle isn't done yet." Richard remarked, as he kept his gun at Selvaria. "People are going to be surprised that I faced down a Valkyria and lived. It's a rare feat for a Darcsen to survive the eternal vengeance brought down upon them, no?"

"...I've wasted enough time with you." Selvaria scoffed. "You are skilled, but you lack the power to harm me at all."

Selvaria then immediately hoisted her shield in front of her, as she suddenly began to charge at Richard at inhuman speeds, barely giving him time to react

"What the-!?" Richard exclaimed, as he was unprepared by Selvaria's desperate move, and he moved to the side. However, Selvaria expected this, as she did not stop her charge, and headed for the rest of Squad 7. "Oh, you sly Valkyrian-"

Richard then activated the comms, as he shouted into it. "Valkyria's coming your way! I won't be able to catch up to her in time, so hurry up and take care of the enemy commander by then!"

He then rushed after Selvaria, keeping at a pace where he can get to her with reasonable timing. Meanwhile, the Edelweiss aimed its cannon at the last remaining radiator, landing a anti-armour round that blew the radiator out.

The effects immediately took effect on the enemy tank, as its body groaned and bucked onto itself, as the armour began to show large wrinkled points of metallic armour, and indented points everywhere.

"Rragh! Presumptous little vermin!" Maximilian roared with anger from his tank.

"Your Grace! Are you all right, I'm moving over to assist you!" Selvaria responded to her commander.

"Fine. The tank itself is perfectly intact, though not for long at this rate." Maximilian grumbled. "You were so easily held up by that Darcsen... What caused such a delay, Selvaria? Tell me."

"That Darcsen... He is not the common peasant. He easily dodged my strikes, as if he was instinctively putting himself out of danger each time I tried to attack him." Selvaria muttered. "It took me a moment to outwit him, and force him to let me past him. He's still chasing me, but I'll quickly take down the rest of these Gallian peasants for you, my liege."

"The enemy tank has been damaged. That should also impair its defences, 7's." Welkin notified everyone. "All lancers, concentrate your fire on the tank! Take it down! The rest of you, do like Rain did, delay the Valkyria, but don't throw your life away while doing so!"

"Roger that, we'll have it done as soon as we can!" Marisa exclaimed, as she immediately loaded a rocket onto her lance. "Come on, hit it where it hurts!"

She then fired her lance at the body of the giant tank, as the rocket actually punched through the crumpled material, dealing some damage to the tank.

Reisen immediately made her shot against Selvaria, as she immediately aimed her sniper rifle at the Valkyria. However, she did not aim for Selvaria's head, but her right leg, as the shot managed to hit Selvaria on the leg without her knowing it, causing her to stumble mid-charge. She then detected Reisen, as she then fired off a long-range barrage of shots at her. However, Reisen immediately fell back in cover, dodging them.

Richard managed to close in on Selvaria, as Rosie immediately faced Selvaria.

"Eat this, Imp Valkyria!" She roared, as she fired her rifle at Selvaria, who did not seem to be fazed, as she used the shield to block all of the bullets.

"Foolish." Selvaria mocked Rosie, before she then charged her lance, before firing a straight beam at Rosie, who barely managed to avoid it.

"Crap, she's literally blocking everything we can throw at her... Even that sniper shot only stopped her for a few seconds at most..." Gus stated. "What do we do...?"

Selvaria immediately fired at the Squad 7 soldiers, as they immediately ducked for cover from her, although some of them were hit by her shots, as they did far more damage than what any kind of gunfire would do to them, causing them to become defensive with Selvaria's assault on them.

Richard immediately made it to the sand dune that was above where Selvaria was bombarding everyone with her shots, as he then looked at Vyse, who hid behind sandbag cover. He then flung the empty rifle of his comrade back, as Vyse saw it and immediately caught it, before loading it back up with ammo.

Selvaria didn't know where the weapon came from, but did not bother to let her guard down, as she continued to fire at the soldiers, suppressing them.

Richard immediately pulled out his rusted weapon, as he kept the shield on his back, and clasped the short blade in both of his arms. Afterwards, he kicked off the edge of the dune, as he leapt towards Selvaria, with his blade pointed at her. She barely managed to notice Richard coming at her, as she brought her shield up to block it, although the resulting clash caused sparks to fly from the impact.

"How did you...!?" Selvaria exclaimed.

"I'm not done with you, Selvaria! You're still facing me, even when you're running away!" Richard exclaimed, before he hopped off and back onto the ground, as he brandished the rusted blade in a neutral combat stance. "I won't give you the chance to try and get anyone. As long as I don't let you have your moment to charge, you can't fire your energy at us."

"Tch!" Selvaria clicked her tongue. "You are so desperate that you would use such a rusted blade against me? So be it. Let our battle continue then, to your eventual demise."

The two of them immediately charged at each other, as each blow caused their weapons to parry off of each other, although Selvaria's heavier lance was knocking Richard's lighter blade aside. Yet, each time Selvaria tried to land a fatal blow within the opening, Richard immediately recovered back, and caught the weapon with his own, forcing them into a dead-lock for a few moments, before they separated from each other.

"Whoa... Damn, he's good with that blade..." Vyse muttered with surprise. "He's literally fighting an Valkyria toe-to-toe with a short-sword!"

"And it doesn't look like that either of them are budging for each other." Sanae stated. "Good god..."

'_Is Richard literally going serious using that blade of his against Selvaria...!?_' Sanae thought with shock.

Richard and Selvaria continued to clash, as the enemy Imperial Tank was being bombarded from its blind-spots, by Largo and Marisa, who kept on reloading and firing rockets at the tank, determined to bring it down. It was already beginning to show signs of severe damage, as there was electricity sparking through the hull, and smoke pouring from the many holes the Lancer rockets penetrated from.

"My liege!" Selvaria exclaimed, as she was distressed at how her Prince was being bombarded by Lancers.

"You shouldn't have kept your eyes off the battle!" Richard exclaimed, as he swung his blade over-head, down towards Selvaria.

Snapping out of it, Selvaria was forced to use her Valkyrian lance to block it horizontally, as they entered a dead-lock.

"Disengage, Rain! You can't push that blade down against her Valkyrian strength!" Gus shouted.

"No... I can do this... I won't let her get the chance..." Richard grunted with effort, as the clashed weapons shifted up and down, as Richard and Selvaria seemed to be even with each other. "You hear me... Selvaria... I won't let you harm any of my squadmates... I won't let you... I won't..."

Richard's eyes suddenly glowed golden, as a faint golden aura appeared around him briefly. "I WON'T!" Richard exclaimed, as he suddenly gained newfound strength, as the blade glowed for a moment as well, the rust disappearing, and revealing the shining golden blade underneath it. He then pushed down at Selvaria's lance, pinning the weapon onto her chest.

Selvaria was aghast at how Richard suddenly displayed the signs of a supernatural power similar to that of a Valkyria, and when she was pinned, she immediately struggled against it. When she turned her head, she saw that Largo and Marisa fired another shot at the enemy tank, as it was the final straw for the damaged tank, as it began to billow flames, and the smoke coming from it was completely dark, as well as sounds of metal rending apart could be heard.

"YOUR GRACE!" Selvaria cried in horror, as she hastily used all of her force onto her legs, as she managed to kick Richard onto the ground, on one knee. Instead of trying to turn the tables on Richard, she immediately ran up to the tank, and leapt up onto it with a single leap. "Are you injured!?"

Maximilian soon came out, as he was coughing from the smoke, before he was pulled out by Selvaria, who carried him by the shoulder. "Selvaria, plans for the Marmota must be adjusted to account for these failures." He stated back. "To think the Batomys, lost to this rabble..."

"In due time, grace! You're in danger here. I'll carry you to our men." Selvaria told her commander, before she then hopped off the tank, heading to the east, as the Gallian soldiers immediately aimed for the two of them, but Selvaria immediately focused her powers to speeding herself up, as she moved out of range, before any of them could properly target her and Maximilian.

"Yes! We managed to beat that thing back!" Welkin cheered.

"Nice work out there, Lieutenant! I've sent the rest of the eastern team to join you there." Varrot praised the lieutenant of Squad 7.

"Welks, the enemy forces have begun to retreat." Isara notified Welkin.

"Then it's our turn to advance! Don't let Maximilian get away!" Welkin ordered.

"Right with you...!" Richard responded back, as he slowly rose up, before he suddenly collapsed onto the ground, as a searing pain ran up his right leg, as he could feel that the bones were fractured by the blow from Selvaria. "Crap, she got me good there... Leg's fractured quite hard from that kick earlier."

"I'll help you across." Gus stated, as he walked over to Richard, and stood him up.

"Me too. You were awesome out there, Rain." Vyse added, as he supported Richard from the other side, and he had a smile on his face. "I mean, look at that, you literally fought a Valkyria man-to-man, and you almost done her in there!"

"Yeah, I guess so..." Richard responded back. "Just a moment ago, I feel a tinge of strength... Like hidden power within me was untapped... Could it be... because of that weapon I was wielding... Was that... my 'lance', figuratively?"

"We'll have to figure that out later." Gus told Richard, before they went up to the Edelweiss, as Sanae finished patching up the allied tank. "Here we go."

The two of them placed Richard in the gunner's porch slowly, as to avoid aggravating Richard's leg wound.

"Alright, we should take Rain back to base first, before we pursue them." Welkin stated. "After we have left him for the medics to treat, we will pursue the Imperial forces containing Maxmillian."

The Edelweiss then rolled back to the Gallian base in the area, as the rest of Squad 7 followed after.

* * *

_After a few moments..._

"And... that should do it." The blonde-haired medic of the squad stated, as she examined her handiwork, as Richard's fractured leg was placed in a splint to protect his leg. "With some ragna-aid to reduce the swelling and alleviate the pain, you should be good to go, in a few months at most."

"Thanks, medic." Richard stated, as he immediately took the crutch supplied for him, to pull himself up. "I think that I'll have to sit out of training, or any sort of conflict for the moment. See you later, nurse."

The medic smiled cheerfully, and waved goodbye to Richard, who slowly left the area, and greeted by a worried Sanae and Gus, as well Reisen and Marisa.

"Are you okay?" Sanae asked. "How serious was the fracture?"

"It was quite simple. It should take a few weeks at most to heal up." Richard responded back. "You know that I've been through worse than this, right?"

"Just asking. You sure don't look like it's that simple." Sanae retorted back.

"Hey, if it doesn't need surgery, I'd call it simple enough." Richard shrugged back. "So, what happened while I was recovering?"

"We stayed behind to take care of you. I insisted." Gus told Richard. "After we came back, Welkin and Alicia was discussing Valkyria with Faldio, and how they relate with Selvaria."

"But seriously, what got into your head that you wanted to face Selvaria as you are!?" Sanae exclaimed back. "You know that she's virtually invincible in this point of the conflict, with her shield and valkyria powers! Even if you wanted to stall her, you should have at least waited for a moment to have some support!"

"That's why I have these, right?" Richard remarked back, pointing at the weapons on his back. "With these, once I 'awaken', I'm going to be on par with Selvaria, if not better than her. I mean, sure, she's demi-godish in power, but if I were seriously fighting, she wouldn't have stood a chance, if I had the right guns and tools for dealing with her."

"Speaking of which, Welkin and Alicia also were discussing about you in particular." Gus added. "They seemed to be surprised how you manged to repel Selvaria mostly by yourself, and briefly overpower her. They're wondering if you possess some sort of variation of Valkyrian powers, that are specific to certain clans in the Darcsen bloodline."

"Well, I certainly never heard of a Darcsen Valkyria." Richard scoffed. "But it does make you wonder... How did the Darcsens fight the Valkyria on fairly equal footing for the first few battles? Something powerful enough to counter the thousands upon thousands of Valkyrias?"

Everyone was silent, before Richard sighed.

"Either way, until we return to Randgriz, I'm going to be bowing out of the sortie list, and not even after we return either. Who knows how long it will take for the next mission to occur." Richard sighed, before he turned to Gus and Sanae. "But I do have something to tell you two."

He then leaned forward, and pointed a finger at both of them.

"I want you two... to keep an close eye on Alicia and Welkin."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Return to Kloden Wildwoods

Response to reviews:

-That's my mistake. I've got that fixed. Don't know why I ended up making it.

-Richard needed to make sure that no-one interferes, because out of the entire group, no-one is properly capable of standing off against Selvaria while she's in Valkyria form. I mean, you saw that Richard fought smart, not hard, against her, forcing her to defend herself and delay her advance to avoid risking herself against him.

-Oh, not just Richard, but his entire group is going to be doing 'What the hell, guys!?', when things get quite strange.

-The report will be done, but it will only be a brief flashback, as to how the fight went, and then how Alicia's Valkyria powers manifest before Faldio and Gus. Gus kept what he saw about Alicia a secret, but he will come to regret the fact that Faldio learned the secret, and that it was that very fact that he shot Alicia to awaken her Valkyria powers. However, Richard will eventually assure Gus that the only way for Alicia to become Valkyria, is if her life was at risk, triggering her fight-or-flight adrenaline-fulled response within her body. This will be done in this chapter.

-As for Squad E, I'd be careful going with that. Remember, VC4 and VC1 run along the same timeline. I will tell you this for a fact, VC4 will be covered in a future Unmei Force volume, but trying to converge the timelines beforehand would be quite difficult, since it would require assuming how the storyline would go, up until the chapter comes. There is no problem with the timeline in-canon, since a different squad from the Unmei Force takes the role of support Squad E of the Federation, but if they cross over, it's going to result in a headache of determining who would possibly be said group supporting Squad E. I have some ideas, but I haven't determined it. So no, you're not getting 7's and E's cutscenes any time soon.

-Indeed, and Richard's power, as Rain, works sort of like a Valkyria, but the differences will become apparent when he goes 'full awakening'.

* * *

_In the Kloden Wildwoods..._

The officers of Squad 7 waited in a small clearing in the forest, as Gus and Sanae were with the others, while Richard was in the tank's gunner porch. Marisa and Reisen were there as well, as they were keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. The night sky loomed above them, as they were worried about the current situation.

"Hm, there's still no confirmation of whether we should be continuing or not...?" Richard asked, turning to the group. "We can't be waiting around here for all this time...!"

"I have a bad feeling about this." Largo stated. "Some of the scouts were due back a long time ago. Haven't heard a thing."

"Well, should we go look for them?" Gus asked. "The more we wait about them, the more my concern for their condition grows. They could have been captured, if not killed."

"Gus! Don't say that out of the blue!" Sanae scolded Gus harshly. "Squad 7 scouts are trained to be both stealthy and agile. The chances of something like that happening are slim!"

"Welkin... We should look. The enemy could be closer than we think." Alicia told Welkin.

"Right..." Welkin stated, as he moved with Alicia, walking towards one of the cliffs overlooking the forest.

Gus looked at them, as he recalled Richard's words. '_I want you two... to keep a close eye on Alicia and Welkin._' He exactly remembered what Richard told him and Sanae, when he came out of the medic's tent.

"Wait, we'll help you look, you two!" Gus stated, before he nudged Sanae with his shoulder, which caused her to realise what Gus was gesturing for, as she nodded and followed them.

They all stopped at the edge of the cliff, as they looked around from up high, while Gus looked at the ground before him, as he reminisced something that troubled him...

* * *

_A few days ago, in the Barious Desert..._

_"Operation complete!" Welkin cried out through the squad comms, as the members of Squad 7 felt both relief and triumph "We took the enemy main base!"_

_"Hell yeah! Now that's what I'm talking about! They didn't stand a chance against us! We charged in and wrecked them faster than they could say 'Imperials'!" Marisa hollered with excitement._

_"Be careful, just because our mission is complete, doesn't mean that we're out of danger yet..." Sanae stated, as she looked around. "Strange... For a base in the highlands, there's only quite a few men here."_

_"Aw, it's nothing to be worried about." Rosie stated, as her mood seemed to be a lot lighter, without Richard being in the front-line with her. "They were just unprepared for the fact that we can fight an uphill-battle as well as we normally do with anything else."_

_"I'll sweep the area. Alicia, could you assist?" Gus requested._

_"Right, I'll help you, Gus." Alicia answered back._

_The two of them immediately patrolled the area, as they checked every nook and cranny for any hidden Imperials. They soon split up, to cover even more of the area, as Gus seemed to find nothing worrying or suspicious, as he was about to holler the all-clear. However, he was interrupted by the sound of Alicia's pained cry, which caused him to immediately panic and rush to where Alicia was._

_A Imperial Scout managed to land a shot on her arm, as she knelt on the ground, clutching her gun wound, which bled considerably. The enemy scout was still trying to reload. However, Gus, filled with adrenaline from the thought of protecting Alicia, as he rushed down, and shot the enemy scout dead-on quickly. After the enemy has fallen, he turned back to Alicia._

_"Alicia, are you okay?" Gus asked her in a concerned tone._

_"I'm... I'm fine. It just hurts a lot, that's all." Alicia tried to downplay the severity of her wound, before she hissed in pain, as blood flowed from the wound again._

_"You may seem like it, but the blood loss will change that soon. I'll get Sally to apply bandages to stem the bleeding temporarily." Gus stated. "Grab onto me, I'll lift you back up."  
_

_Alicia took her bloodied hand off her wound, as she then placed a arm on Gus's shoulder, allowing him to lift her back up to her feet, as the two of them returned to the team, who were distressed about Alicia's wound._

_"Did... Did you get shot?" Rosie asked with shock, before it converted to anger. "Where is the bastard Imp who did this? They won't get away-"_

_"I took care of it, Rosie." Gus quickly answered, causing Rosie to simmer down. "Sally, Alicia needs some medical attention now."_

_"R-right away." Sanae stated, with a worried tone, as she gingerly peeled Alicia's uniform sleeve up enough to allow her to expose the bloody wound fully. She then pulled out a roll of cotton bandage from her utility box, as she immediately measured out a good length to wrap the wound. "This may hurt a little, Alicia... Putting pressure in a wound with the bullet in it, is going to do more damage to it, but leaving you bleeding is a worse choice than that."_

_"Right... Ah!" Alicia cried, as Sanae tightened the bandages, causing a spike of pain to run through her body, as she rubbed the covered wound gently. "Thank you, Sally..."_

_"You're welcome, Alicia." Sanae warmly responded back. "It's my duty to do the best to support everyone else on the squad."_

_"Let's head back." Gus stated. "Welkin might have some reports to give out about this._"

* * *

_Back in the Gallian Main camp..._

_Welkin was waiting around a large camp tent, before he was greeted by Faldio, who walked to him._

_"Good to see you. Looks like you made it through too." Faldio greeted Welkin._

_"You too. And the other squads are back. Seems the Barious suppression operation was successful after all." Welkin remarked._

_Alicia soon appeared, as the bloody hole in the sleeve was still on her uniform, as she saluted Welkin and Faldio, before Gus came to them as well._

_"Lieutenant Gunther, we've made camp for the night, sir." Alicia formally addressed them._

_"Okay, great. Let's finish setting the... Huh!?" Welkin stated, before he was shocked to see the bloody hole in Alicia's uniform. "Alicia, your arm's bleeding! Are you all right?"_

_"Huh? Oh... Something this small should heal up in no time. I'll be fine." Alicia assured Welkin._

_"Here, let me take a look." Faldio offered, as he walked up to her, and slowly pulled the sleeve back, and saw that the bandages applied by Sanae were already quite red on the spot covering the wound. "Ah, so it's a gunshot wound. Luckily, it hit your arm. And it has been treated until proper procedures can be used to heal the wound."_

_"Does it hurt bad?" Welkin asked Alicia._

_"Eh... A little..." Alicia admitted timidly._

_"So, Sally, your friend, did this for Alicia?" Faldio asked Gus._

_"Sally is the most caring out of all of us. She's the kind who would take care of her own sisters, if she had any, like a doting big sister." Gus stated. "She's not the kind to leave people with problems that she could easily solve herself."_

_"Thanks, Gus, and your friend. I know she'll be in good hands." Welkin thanked Gus._

_"There's no need for thanks, Lieutenant. Even if the wound was minor, if it wasn't treated quickly, it could become problematic. I rather have it dealt with now, than later, where her life would be under threat by various factors." Gus responded back._

_"Anyway, where were we?" Alicia asked Welkin. "That's right, we need to get the rest of the camp set up."_

_"Right, sorry for worrying so much." Welkin chuckled. "Come on."_

* * *

_In the officer tent, at nighttime..._

_The entirety of the Squad 7 officer echelon were sleeping soundly, as Richard was laid beside Alicia, as the two of them were resting on the ground, with quilts covering their bodies in comfort, resting from their wounds._

_Soon, the tent flap on the entrance was lifted up, as Faldio came in. "Say, Welkin..." He was about to say, before he then realised that the occupants of the tent were fast asleep, as he looked around to see the officers dozing off, as he smiled a little. "...Already asleep, huh?"_

_Faldio then shrugged. "Eh, no worries. I'll just come back tomorrow." He muttered, before he turned around to see Gus standing in front of him._

_"Hello, Faldio." Gus stated evenly._

_"Ah, Gus. What keeps you up so late in the night?" Faldio asked, before he noticed that Gus's eyes were slightly droopy from exhaustion and drowsiness. 'You're one of the people who were in this night's patrol shift?"_

_"Just ended right now." Gus mumbled back. "I wanted to see if Richard was fine as he was. And while I'm at it, have a look at how Alicia is doing as well."_

_Before Faldio could reply, a aura of blue light appeared where Alicia and Richard laid, before it was accompanied by flashes of gold light amongst the blue._

_"Huh?" Faldio blurted out._

_"Wha...!?" Gus squawked, before both of them rushed over to where Richard and Alicia were, as Alicia was emitting the blue aura, making the blue light, while Richard's golden aura seemed to be pulsating deeply, as it focused around where Richard's fractured leg was, as the golden light pierced through the solid cast covering it._

_"Alicia... Rain...What's going on...?" Faldio stated._

_Gus didn't say anything, before he then turned to Faldio, as he silently gestured for Faldio to come outside with him. Faldio acknowledged the request, as the two of them went outside, as Faldio could see the conflicted expression on Gus's face._

_"Faldio... I can't ask you to promise this... But can you do your best to do one thing for me?" Gus asked._

_"It relates to what we have seen... Does it? What is it, Gus? I'll do my best to keep my word." Faldio responded back._

_"Alicia... She's a Valkyria, isn't she?" Gus asked. "There's no denying it... What she did in the Barious Ruins of the Valkyira, from the after-mission reports, and now how the very same aura we saw on the awakened Selvaria, appearing on Alicia, if only briefly. She must have the power of the Valkyria."  
_

_"...All of this makes the theory quite likely." Faldio answered back._

_"Then I ask of you... Promise that you won't leak the fact that Alicia is a Valkyria...__" Gus begged with a desperate tone. "When I read up on Valkyria lore back in Randgriz, I have seen that Valkyria are quite feared for their destructive power. If it's not for the sake of the squad itself, it's for the sake of the army. If Alicia is revealed as a Valkyria, then bad things may happen, such as her being used as a mere weapon of destruction. And about Rain... I don't know what's going on with him... But if I recall correctly... The Valkyria fought with the Darcsens for centuries. But if the Valkyria are truly powerful, then there should be a force among the Darcsens that match the power of the Valkyria as well... I think that's the best explanation as to what I can give with why Rain is undergoing the same thing as Alicia. So please... tell me you'll keep your word."_

_Faldio was silent, as he considered those words, before he nodded._

_"Alright, I'll keep it a secret as long as I can. But eventually... the secret will be exposed, whether I like it or not, it won't be in the control of either of us by then." Faldio warned Gus._

_"I'll understand if it comes to that." Gus stated, before he left. "Good night, Faldio."_

* * *

_The next_ day...

_"It's another big day for Squad 7!" Alicia cheerfully stated, as she stood amongst the group of Squad 7 members, who were packing up to continue their march back to Randgriz. She then noticed Isara carrying a heavy box of items alone, as she walked over. "Oh! Morning, Isara! Here, let me help you with that."_

_"Thank you kindly, Alicia." Isara thanked her back, as Alicia hefted the box up with her. "Are you certain your arm is alright?"_

_"Fine! Hoomf...!" Alicia grunted, as they began moving. "See! No problem, even with the heavy stuff!"_

_"Hee hee! Well, I'm glad! Just be sure to take it slow!" Isara chuckled._

_"I will. Thanks." Alicia answered back, as they set the box down near another pair of Squad 7 members, who continued the job of carrying the box across._

_Faldio silently watched as Alicia helped the other people pack up for the march, as he then directed his attention to Richard, who was still crippled by his wounded leg, but it seemed like it was far better than it was before, as his movements seemed more natural and fluid than the first few days he received the fracture._

_"Alicia... Rain..." Faldio muttered. "What can I do with you two...?"_

_Faldio sighed, before he watched with amusement, as Sanae chased after Hans, who was snorting and bouncing around everywhere, as he caused startled cries and shouts from everywhere the energetic winged piglet went._

* * *

_Back in the present..._

When Gus finished reminiscing about this past, he looked up to the sky, expecting to see the calm night sky to soothe his worries. However, what came into sight was instead a falling mortar shell that was heading their way.

"Wha..." Gus muttered, before he was then rushed off the cliff by a panicked Sanae.

"RUN!" Sanae screamed, as the two of them tumbled down the side of the steep cliff-side together, before they made a painful landing on the ground below.

Gus then got up, as he groaned a little, as he then looked back up, hoping that Welkin and Alicia wouldn't be hit by the incoming mortar. However, his hopes were crushed, when he heard their cries, after a loud explosion rang out, and appeared from atop the cliff where they were.

"Oh crap, Alicia, Welkin!" Sanae wailed in dread, as she had her hands on her cheeks in fear.

On top of the cliffs, the mortar explosion alerted everyone, as they immediately tensed up, with Reisen and Marisa taking position for battle, and Richard looking frantically around for enemies.

Largo, Rosie and Isara were standing near the explosion, where the dusty cloud produced by the explosion was slowly dissipating. However, Isara, deathly worried about her brother, immediately made for a sprint to where he and Alicia were before.

"Welks-" Isara was about to say, before she was grabbed by Largo.

"Hold on!" Largo exclaimed. "Where are you going? Don't be a idiot! Who's going to drive that tank, if you get hurt as well?"

Isara looked away, as her eyes seemed to be quite hesitant to abandon her brother.

Reisen then immediately heard footsteps approaching their location, as she swivelled around, and aimed her rifle down. Rosie, also hearing them, raised her sub-machine gun at the ready.

"Largo, we've gotta move our butts now!" Rosie warned them. "Two more minutes and we'll be dead!"

"But what about Welks...?" Isara asked softly.

"There's no time to worry about Welkin, Isara! We need to hold our ground for him until he comes back!" Richard shouted. "Isara, get the Edelweiss ready. Even without Welkin operating the main cannon, using the mounted MG should be able to be enough to repel the coming wave of Imperials!"

Reisen immediately fired a shot, as there was a death-cry from faraway, before she then fired again, causing another of the coming soldiers to fall down dead.

"We're outnumbered! Everyone, take cover!" Largo instructed the small group, before moving further down the road.

"Right! I'll be at the ready if any armour tries to come our way!" Marisa stated, as she circled around behind the Edelweiss.

"Come on, Isara! Now!" Rosie exclaimed, as she moved back with Largo.

"...Right!" Isara stated, as she immediately hopped into the Edelweiss, and ignited its engine.

"We need to find our scouts as quickly as we can...!" Richard stated. "Surely they must have been sidetracked by the Imperial patrols here. If they're in danger... Then we'll have to rescue them..."

Meanwhile, down where Sanae and Gus were, they were met by Alicia and Welkin falling down towards them, as they seemed to be knocked unconscious by the blast, as they collided with the ground harshly, as they bounced off the hard ground a few times, before coming to rest behind the two members.

"Let me check on them..." Sanae told Gus. "They shouldn't be dead... The mortar blast didn't directly impact them..."

She then walked over, before she checked each of their pulses, through fingers pressed on the jugular artery, or on the back of the wrist. When she confirmed a steady pulse from each of them, she let out a breath of relief.

"Hoo... They're still very much alive." Sanae sighed. "But then, in this moment, Alicia should have had a ankle injury right at this moment."

She then took a closer look at Alicia's feet, as she noticed that one of her ankles seemed to be bruised quite severely, as it was a deep purple, causing Sanae to wince.

"Argh... No wonder she couldn't walk properly with such heavy spraining of her ankle..." Sanae hissed. "Now then, onto Welkin..."

She then examined Welkin as well, as she checked for any injuries on him that can be estimated from his external appearance. She did manage to notice that Welkin's head was bleeding from a large gash on his head, otherwise he was relatively unharmed.

"Holy... That's a big one there. Better cover that up." Sanae said, before she immediately covered the head wound with bandages. "There, that should help him."

Suddenly, they heard footsteps coming their way, as Gus immediately grabbed Welkin by the shoulders.

"That doesn't sound like good company there..." Gus told Sanae. "We should hide for the moment, until the two of them awaken."

"I wholeheartedly agree, Gus." Sanae nodded, as she immediately picked up Alicia as well. They then moved into a large patch of bushes, as they immediately laid low, keeping silent and still, to let the natural environment around them camouflage their presence.

They listened intently, as Imperial soldier patrols passed by them, as they stopped close to the hidden group several times, although none of them bothered to check the bushes, as if they were confident that the Gallians wouldn't be hiding in this area, if not to prepare an ambush, and they knew that Squad 7's in its entirety, they say, were being assaulted by the group.

Slowly, Alicia and Welkin came back into the waking world, as Welkin was the first to wake up, as he groaned, placing a hand over his bandaged head.

"Hhhhngh... Where...?" Welkin croaked out, before he then registered the feeling of the bandage on his head, that he was touching right now. He then looked around and saw Sanae and Gus. "Gus? Sally?"

"Nn... Nngh... Welkin?" Alicia muttered, before she then sat up. "You two?"

"Good, you two are finally awake." Gus stated. "The explosion conked you two out for a while. The others have been forced to retreat into the forest, as Imperial patrols have managed to spot them with the Edelweiss."

"Is everyone alright?" Alicia asked both Gus and Sanae.

"I'm sure that everyone can handle the situation in our absence. Even without Welkin in command, they should be able to deal with the enemy without too much problems." Sanae assured Alicia. "I managed to treat Welkin's head wound. It wasn't severe, but the bleeding was worrying. As for you, Alicia, I'd suggest you ease up on the moving... You have a sprained ankle, and it's very serious."

"Then we should get moving. There are probably still Imperials camped out up there." Welkin told them.

"But how? Alicia's injured." Gus stated. "That sprain of hers is going to limit her mobility, even if she can walk through the pain of straining it."

"I should be okay. I don't think that it should be that bad to walk on..." Alicia muttered, as she got up, and attempted to make a step with her injured foot, as she winced deeply, when she made the step. "Augh! You weren't kidding, Sally."

"Sorry, I know it hurts, but you gotta tough it out for now." Welkin told Alicia, who nodded back with a 'Okay.'. He then pulled out a map. "This should help us find a way out. The night should be able to give us good cover to get through any enemies in our path. But we'll have to deal with the limited visibility like them."

"Your expertise with the wildlife should be able to help us mostly around here, right?" Gus asked. "Tell us, is there anything that we should take note?"

"Well, I'd say sticking to animal trails should help us get across safely, but in this dark night, finding them will be nearly impossible." Welkin responded back. "However, I might be able to find things as we proceed. We should take caution, and try to sneak out of their perimeter without getting spotted."

"Got it." Sanae stated, before she then turned to Alicia. "I'm afraid that trying to support you would make it worse for you, so you'll have to walk by myself at your own pace."

"Sorry, I don't know how much I can run with this injury..." Alicia stated with a disappointed tone.

"Don't worry. You set the pace, and we'll follow." Welkin smiled back.

The four of them immediately got up, as they slowly made their way through the forest, as Alicia did her best to limp quickly across with her wounded ankle.

Suddenly, the four of them heard the distant sound of a mortar being shot out, as they froze in their tracks.

"Is that sound... a mortar!?" Welkin exclaimed.

"Have they spotted us?" Alicia asked with worry.

"Don't think so. I don't hear anything whistling across our direction. If it's really coming towards us, we should be able to easily move out of its way." Gus answered back.

"No need. If we're careful, we can predict where they'll fire and steer clear of the targeted area." Welkin told Gus.

They moved on, as they soon managed to find a cluster of flying lights, that seemed to look like fireflies, gathered around a single spot.

"Hey, Welkin? What's that light?" Alicia asked.

"Oh, that's a luciferant. It's bio luminescent, the same sort of thing as a firefly." Welkin explained. "Hey, wait. The luciferant feeds mostly on manure. There could be a animal trail here."

"So keep an eye out for these luciferant clusters, that's what you're saying, right Welkin?" Sanae stated.

Welkin nodded, as they slowly moved past the luciferant cluster, as they shambled through the long grass in their path, before they managed to reach a small animal trail curving around the standard path. And in their view was a small plant with large blue flowers.

"These leaves... Great, this is ponisera." Welkin smiled, as if he believed he was fortunate.

"What are they good for, Welkin?" Gus asked.

"It's a wild herb that works well on bruises." Welkin informed them. "Just have to grind the stem and leaves down."

"Leave that to me." Sanae stated, before she plucked the stems and leaves off the plant, and grinding them by hand as well as she could, leaving a sappy blue substance on her hands. "Alicia, sit down and let me rub this on your ankle."

Alicia complied, as she sat down on the ground, putting out the leg with the wounded ankle for Sanae. Sanae immediately rubbed her sap-stained hands all over Alicia's ankle, firmly rubbing the purple bruise, as Alicia let out a few pained hisses in response.

"How do you feel now?" Sanae asked, as Alicia stood back up, the medicinal paste fading away, being absorbed into Alicia's bruised skin.

"It... It kinda stings. But I think that it hurts a lot less than before." Alicia stated. "I should be able to pick up the pace a bit more like this. Thank you, Welkin and Sally."

"Good, we'll keep an eye out for poniseras as well. The better that Alicia's ankle is, the less risk she'll be caught." Gus stated.

The group then advanced, as they found a Imperial squad leader, in red armour, guarding the bridge across.

"I'll take care of this." Alicia stated, as she immediately took down the guarding soldier with a shot to their head. "Let's go."

The group then made their way across one-by-one, before they saw the faint outline of a mortar shell flying past them, before hitting a large part of the area, tearing down the trees and ground in it.

Welkin then noticed that there were towers with large searchlights mounted on top of them, as the lights were slowly moving around, looking for any enemies to spot out.

"Searchlights. This is bad news." Welkin scowled at the development of the situation before them.

"I have a feeling that these searchlights are involved with the mortars being fired." Gus suggested.

"Yeah, I mean, if they find us, either we get piled by the soldiers in the area, or they decide to order a mortar strike where they saw us. Either way, it could be deadly even for all of us, doubly for Alicia." Sanae agreed.

They slowly made their way past, as they made sure to run in the darkness, carefully avoiding the spotlights. When they managed to find a ponisera, Sanae would be called over to it, as she would grind it into remedying paste for Alicia, as it managed to improve her condition bit by bit. And with teamwork, the group shot down any enemies down, before they even noticed that they were even there.

After a few moments of tense sneaking across the area, the group managed to reach a passage that would take them into a area that was hopefully not patrolled by the Imperials.

"Phew!" Welkin sighed in relief. "We should be safe here, at least for a little while. Let's look for a spot where we can rest, guys."

"Right. It's too dark to cover much ground even if we tried." Alicia agreed.

"We'll need to rest up, and have as much energy as we need, on our return to our squad." Sanae stated.

The group then immediately continued along the path, before they came into the sight of a small wooden cottage in a clearing, which surprised everyone.

"A wooden cottage, deep in the wildwoods...?" Gus asked with some concern in his voice.

"Who'd build a cottage way out here? Not that I'm complaining or anything." Welkin remarked.

"Do you think that it's occupied by anyone?" Sanae asked, before she shook her head. "It wouldn't matter anyway. We're just a single-day guest to this place, As long as we don't do anything to the property, the owner is very unlikely to care if we stayed here or not."

Everyone entered the cottage, as Sanae closed the door, and everyone immediately slumped down on the ground from exhaustion.

"How's your ankle holding up, Alicia?" Welkin asked Alicia. "Sorry to make you walk so far on it."

"No, it's not too bad. The poniseras managed to alleviate most of the pain." Alicia smiled back.

"That's good. Still, let's get a herbal compress on it, just in case." Welkin responded back.

"I got you guys covered on that." Sanae stated, before she pulled out a small glass bottle filled with jelly-like substance. "I managed to collect some of this during our trip across the wildwoods. If I recall what I learnt from the squad medic, this stuff is supposed to be a godsend for skin and muscle injuries."

"Heh, you must be talking about the aloe severa. It's a succulent in the lily family." Welkin chuckled. "There's a jelly substance inside its leaves that help combat swelling."

"Hee hee! I should start calling you 'Doctor Nature', huh Welkin?" Alicia teased. "Very well, doc. I entrust my ankle's care to you and your medical assistant."

Welkin blushed slightly at the remark, while Sanae looked away, as she was a little embarassed to be paired up with Welkin by Alicia. Sanae, however, did dutifully apply the herbal compress, using a jelly-infused bandage to wrap around her injured ankle gently, pressing the cool substance against her skin.

"All right, that should do it. How does it feel? A little tingly?" Sanae asked.

"No, it's nice and cool. Thanks, nurse." Alicia thanked Sanae.

"Aheheheh... I'm no medic like the one we have." Sanae stated timidly, with a sheepish rub of the back of her head. "I just know how to deal with the situation."

"So, Welkin. What got you interested in nature to start with?" Alicia asked.

"Well, I don't know. I guess it had a lot to do with my dad's influence." Welkin answered back. "Whenever he came home, we'd take a trip collecting bugs in the mountains, or swimming."

"General Gunther? Wow, I never thought he would be such a dutiful father to you." Alicia stated with astonishment.

"Somewhere along the way, going on the trips turned into a love of nature for me, too. I guess other people see him as a big, stoic military hero." " Welkin answered back, as he then frowned. "He had his share of worries, though. My mom died as a casualty of the First European War. I don't think Dad ever got over the fact that he couldn't protect her. But everybody was always praising him for being a great hero. The war won him respect and adulation, but it also cost him the love of his life. I think that always weighed on him... That question of what he fought the war for."

"I had no idea..." Alicia spoke back, in a sympathetic tone.

"It must have been truly tough for your father, to carry such a burden close to his heart." Gus stated. "I can sort of understand how he would feel at the moment."

"But when he was out in the woods, playing with me, he was always bright and happy." Welkin smiled again. "Maybe I fell in love with nature, because it always put the smile back on my dad's face."

"Oh, Welkin..." Alicia muttered.

"Alright, let's get some rest." Sanae stated. "Gus, you'll be fine keeping watch for us?"

"I've done this many times before." Gus responded back. "You three take your time. If nothing happens, I'll get to sleep myself."

After a long moment, Gus was patrolling outside, as he was struggling to stay awake, as the other three people were sleeping soundly. Just as he was about to stop his watching, he suddenly heard footsteps coming his way, as grass began to rustle in one of the paths. This caused Gus to become highly alert, as he immediately rushed back into the cottage, towards the sleeping trio. He jostled them awake firmly.

"Guys, there's someone coming our way..." Gus harshly whispered to them. "Get up, we could be in danger now!"

Sanae blinked her eyes a few times, before she then got up and reached for her rifle, as Alicia did the same. Welkin immediately snatched his rifle, as he pointed it at the cottage door, with Gus doing the same.

When the door was slowly pushed open, they were met by the sight of a Imperial soldier, who was wobbling weakly on his feet. Everyone were startled to see a Imperial soldier, one so weak, come their way, although for Welkin, it quickly faded, when the Imperial shuffled forward weakly.

"Freeze!" Welkin firmly stated, as he cocked the rifle at the ready.

However, the Imperial soldier did not react at all, although after a few more steps, he immediately let out a few weak and pained groans, before falling to the ground, revealing that there were several large bullet holes on the back of his armour, most of them gathered where his chest would be.

"Ah! Welkin, what...?" Alicia asked with surprise in her voice.

"He's badly wounded, by the looks of it." Gus stated. "It's a miracle that he's even able to move like this, if he's already that weak, to be unresponsive to our calls.

Suddenly, the soldier began to speak, in a very faint and weak voice. "Help... me..." He croaked back.

"Sally, do something!" Alicia exclaimed, turning to her.

"I know, Alicia! Just let me have a look at him! I think that I might be able to stabilise him and ensure that he'll live long enough to get back to his men." Sanae stated, as she walked over to the fallen Imperial soldier. "First, I'll check his wounds, after I take off the armour obstructing them..."

She then immediately took off the Imperial soldier's helmet slowly, as it revealed a young man with faded yellow hair, as his face was in a very pained expression, as he was writhing and gurgling under his throat, as there was bloodstains all over his mouth, before he coughed some more blood out, as it spattered across his face. The appearance of the deathly wounded soldier sent a chill down everyone's spine, as Sanae's dread increased seeing it.

"He's already coughing out blood. This isn't a good sign at all...!" Sanae muttered. "No... There might be some hope for him, if I could check the wounds."

She then took off the metallic breastplate over the chest of the Imperial soldier, as she gasped in horror, as the wounds, the bullet-holes, were quite large and they seemed to have penetrated into the organs.

"Ah...!" Sanae muttered with horror, before she then turned to everyone with a shake of her head. "I'm sorry... His condition is fatal. Not even a field medic would be able to treat this, and he won't live long enough to be transported to a hospital to be saved, not with the amount of blood he lost."

"Those bullet wounds... They seem to be the same calibre of the Edelweiss's mounted machine-gun..." Welkin noted. "Could it be that he was one of the soldiers who fought against our squad, while we were separated from them...?"

"It hurts... It's so dark..." The soldier wheezed, as his voice was shaking with fear and despair, and he raised a hand up, as his breath was beginning to stagger. "Oh god. Mother... Mother... Please...!"

Alicia looked at the dying soldier with a grim look in her eyes, as she clasped the raised hand gently with her own, as the soldier began to settle down, as if Alicia's touch comforted him.

"Ungh..." The soldier muttered, as tears began to leak from his eyes. "Mother... Where are you...?"

"It's ok. Don't be afraid... Mother is here... I'm here for you..." Alicia spoke in a soothing voice, as she stroked the side of the soldier's head like a parent soothing their child. "I'll be here for you. Everything is fine, see...?"

"Yes... It's... It's..." The soldier muttered, as his breath was beginning to be hitched. "It's so calm and quiet... I must have been sent back home... I'm finally back, mother... Your son, managed to come back alive... I'm sorry I left you... I only wanted... to help the country..."

"You've done enough... Rest, my sweet child... You don't need to fight anymore." Alicia continued, as she smiled a little to comfort the soldier.

"Ahahaha... Mother... You always... cared so much... for me... I'm sorry... that... I... was... I was... so..." The soldier smiled weakly, as his breathing was very faint, and his lips trembled to keep it on his face. "...so... stupid... to leave... you... all alone... At least... I'm back... I'm... ho... me..."

His hand began to fall by his side, as he drew his last breath, lying in a pool of blood, surrounded by Gallian soldiers, who actually cared for their enemy.

Alicia then looked at the deceased soldier for a moment, before she then turned away silently, as tears ran down her cheeks in sorrow. Welkin bowed his head in respect of the fallen soldier, while Gus closed his eyes and muttered a silent prayer for the fallen soldier, and Sanae looked down at the ground, as her eyes were quite sorrowful.

* * *

_Back with Squad 7..._

The members of Squad 7 were patrolling the entire forest, as they were looking for both Imperial soldiers, and the missing members of their team. Largo then walked up to Rosie, who immediately turned to him.

"You find the boss and Alicia?" Rosie asked calmly.

"Naw, still nothing." Largo shook his head back.

Isara was working on the Edelweiss, as she was doing standard maintenance on the tank, with vehicle tools at hand, as she wiped her sweaty forehead with her arm.

"Isara... How about you quit messing around and help us look?" Rosie asked Isara firmly.

"The Edelweiss still requires maintenance." Isara answered back, briefly turning her head to Rosie, before continuing her work.

"Your own brother's gone missing here, and you'd rather be doing maintenance work than look?" Rosie asked with a scowl.

"Didn't Largo say that Isara is the only one who can drive the Edelweiss for us?" Richard asked back, leaning out to face Rosie. "I rather she spend her time working on something useful, than risking herself, when she won't be able to contribute to the search properly. Keeping the tank optimal is her way of being productive right now."

"Hmph. Not like I care either way." Rosie grumbled, as she walked away. "As long as this doesn't cause trouble for us, It won't matter much."

Rosie then walked away, as Largo walked up to Isara.

"I hear what Rain is saying in your stead." Largo told her. "But just be sure you rest up while you can. You been working since first thing this morning. It ain't healthy for you. You're Squad 7's only tank pilot. If you pass out on us, we're all toe up, hear me? Getting a good night's rest is another thing you can do for your brother right now."

Isara briefly stopped working, as she turned to Largo with a smile on her face. "I understand... Thank you for your advice, Largo." Isara acknowledged him back.

"Oh, sure..." Largo answered back, as he seemed to blush a little, before he walked away, leaving Isara to continue working for a moment.

"Isara... Do you have any hope that your brother will be able to make it back in one piece with the others?" Richard asked. "I know that you're very concerned about him, but Largo is right, you need to take care of yourself, for your brother."

"Rain..." Isara muttered back. "I believe that my brother will be able to make it back safe... After all, you believe that your friends will make it back safe, right?"

"Heh, got me there." Richard chuckled back with amusement. "Yeah, my friends will be able to take care of your brother. We've spent a long time together, so much that we know how to take care of each other. One time, we were all completely separated from each other. All of us had to fight alone for a moment, but we managed to survive long enough to gather back up and push the enemy back. If they're capable of fighting alone, then taking care of other people would be a cinch for them."

"You and your friends must be pretty experienced in battle then..." Isara remarked.

"Trust me, you have no idea how much living on the run from the Imperials does in maturing a person." Richard quipped. "But still, just try not to over-do it. Even without Welkin to man it for us, I can still use the MG to help drive off the foot soldiers. It's the tanks we should be concerned about, since without Welkin guiding a route, we're effectively unable to move for the time being."

"Got it, Rain. I'll try not to, like Largo told me." Isara nodded, before she continued working on the tank, as Richard looked out for anything suspicious.

* * *

_The next day..._

Gus finished placing the last shovelful of dirt over the makeshift grave for the dead Imperial soldier, as he then stuck the shovel blade-first into the ground. Welkin and Alicia then placed the rifle and the helmet of the soldier over the mounded grave, before they stood back to take a proper look at the grave they've made together.

"It's done... At least with this, people might be able to find this man and his grave." Sanae muttered. "Not every soldier should die in a unmarked grave..."

"Welkin... I... I couldn't do anything for the poor man." Alicia spoke with a melancholic tone. "He was lying there, asking for help, but... All I could do was watch him die..."

"That's not true. You helped him in a way only you could, Alicia." Welkin replied to that. "That look on his face, when he passed on, wasn't one of pain. It was one of relief and joy."

"It was... I guess you're right. Thank you, Welkin." Alicia smiled a little from Welkin's words. "I'd always just thought of the Imperials as monsters out to kill Gallians. But they're just as human as we are, huh? With families of their own to fight for."

"Yeah, they are..." Welkin muttered with a sigh.

"We wouldn't be the only ones who would know that..." Gus responded back. "But in war, nobody would dare to admit such a thing to anyone. And most even forgot about that single fact that makes war so pointless... All these lives lost... And for what...? We kill each other for reasons that seemed so pointless to all of us..."

"That man... If there was no war, he would have been able to be with his family now." Sanae muttered as well.

Alicia was silent, before she turned to Welkin. "Hey, Welkin... About family... Did I ever tell you I don't have one?" She said. "I grew up in a orphanage, I don't even know my parents' names."

"You didn't...?" Welkin asked with a curious tone.

"But maybe I'm actually lucky, huh?" Alicia asked back. "If you... If you never have a family in the first place, you can't ever lose them. I guess being all alone has its perks... heh heh."

Sanae took offence, as she walked over, and firmly slapped Alicia on the cheek, causing the ribbon-wearing girl to reel back, as she clutched the slapped cheek with her hand, as Sanae seemed to be quite annoyed at Alicia.

"Don't say such a thing, Alicia. Being alone is never good. Having no family means that you never grew up being loved by someone who genuinely loves you." Sanae spoke in a very serious tone. "There is nothing about being alone that makes it worth the pain it could bring. After all..."

Sanae's expression then fell into one of hopelessness, as her eyes turned a little dull. "...I know how it feels..." Sanae whispered audibly.

Alicia silently listened to Sanae, before she became a little guilty for saying such a thing, causing Sanae to feel sad as well.

"You know you're not alone here, Alicia." Welkin tried to cheer her up. "You got me and Is, everybody in Squad 7. We're all a family now, Alicia."

"Squad 7, a family?" Alicia asked, with a intrigued tone.

"Sure, I'm the dad, you're the mom. Rosie and Isara are like daughters, ones that often squabble with each other." Welkin explained the notion. "And Largo is the grandpa. C'mon, can't you see it?"

"And then there's the big brother, Rain. And us, the cousins of the family." Sanae continued on.

"Hah! If he heard that, you know Largo would kick your butt!" Alicia giggled.

"Sure, we had our share of fights, but they say that best friends fight the most, right?" Welkin said.

"I can agree with that." Gus stated, as he recalled about his past with Richard, as they often butted head about matters.

"So don't go saying you're all on your own. You hear me?" Welkin told Alicia.

"All right, Welkin. And thanks for making me realise that..." Alicia thanked Welkin.

Suddenly, the bushes nearby rustled, alerting everyone, as Gus and Sanae raised their rifles up.

Several Imperial soldiers came out of the bushes, as they had their guns raised, and they were led by a Imperial officer in black uniform, and shaved blonde hair on his head, as well as blue-grey eyes.

Gus and Sanae locked eyes with the soldiers, as they tightened their grips on their weapon, although they didn't make any moves towards shooting. Alicia and Welkin were stunned, as they didn't move either.

The Imperial officer then glanced at one of the soldiers, who nodded and walked over to the grave.

"The helmet and rifle? They belong to Fritz, sir." The soldier told the officer.

The officer nodded slowly. "Tell your men to lay your weapons down. I'll do the same." The officer told Welkin, as he gestured for the Imperial soldiers to lower their weapons.

"...I see. Gus, Sally, stand down." Welkin ordered, as the two of them did so, although with some reluctance. The Imperial officer then walked to the group.

"Are you the ones who laid him to rest?" He asked firmly.

"Yes. We dug this grave for him." Welkin honestly answered back.

"There are signs of medical treatment inside the cabin, sir. And Fritz's bloodstains are on the ground." A soldier reported back to the officer.

"Why then? Explain to me the reasons you had to save his life. He was your enemy, and yet you saved him regardless." The officer questioned them.

"He was delirious. He was crying out for his mother." Welkin recounted back. "We may be enemies in this war, but we all have families waiting for us at home. As a human being, I couldn't just sit by and watch a man in pain without trying to do something to ease it."

"We've always called him a mama's boy, sir, and now..." Another soldier stated, before he bowed his head to the grave. "Sorry Fritz, I wish we could have been there for you."

"He seemed to mistake one of us as his mother." Gus told them. "She managed to play the role, comforting your friend until he passed away, with a smile on his face, and tears of relief."

"I see." The officer grunted back. "And you, son? Do you have a family?"

"Yes. I have a younger sister. And I have another sort of family as well. I have the soldiers of my squad." Welkin continued to reply back to the officer.

"I have a wife and daughter back at home. And I feel the same as you. My men are like a second family to me." The officer responded back with a respectful tone, before he bowed his head. "Thank you, thank you for honouring Fritz as you did. I'm sure his mother would appreciate your kind act."

Soon, there was the sound of gunshots ringing in the area, as it caught everyone's attention.

"I suppose we'll meet again on the battlefield." The officer told the group of four. "I'm sorry for that. You all seem like good people. Rarely have I seen soldiers like you. For now, so long."

The officer then turned away, and gestured the soldiers to leave the area with him, as the group of four looked amongst each other.

"I think that we should get back to our squad as quickly as we can." Welkin stated. "They must be close, if we could hear the gunshots."

"Right, we'll start moving. How's your ankle, Alicia?" Gus asked.

"It feels like its almost completely healed. I should be able to move at my typical pace now." Alicia responded back.

"Come on, we need to get to everyone, so that everyone knows we're still alive!" Sanae stated.

The group of four immediately moved out of the area, heading towards the sound of battle.

* * *

_In another area of the wildwoods..._

There was a loud explosion, as a mortar hit one of the sandbag stacks, effectively destroying the cover. Reisen clicked her tongue in annoyance, as she took down another soldier in the head, with her rifle. Everyone was fighting back, as Vyse, Rosie, Largo, Marisa, Nancy were trying to hold the line, as the entire group were holed up in a nearby base.

Richard was also using the Edelweiss's machine-gun to cut down the advancing Imperial soldiers, as he efficiently downed anyone who came into his sight, although he was forced to duck into the tank, to avoid being hit by lance-fire.

"They're still going strong..." Richard muttered with worry. "We have to keep enduring... until Welkin comes back to lead the Edelweiss for us..."

"Jeez, there are plenty of enemies here..." Vyse remarked, as he fired at the Imperial soldiers again. "I don't know whether I should be trembling in my boots in fear or joy here..."

"Well, Welkin better get back here. Without the tank, our advance is blunt at the most!" Rosie grumbled, as she took down an enemy with the help of Nancy, who managed to spot the enemy for the pig-tailed stormtrooper.

"This is really getting tight here." Largo growled. "I barely have enough rockets here for the tanks. If I miss, it's going to get dangerous..."

"Shut up and keep firing!" Marisa shouted back, as she readied her lance, and landed a direct hit on the front of a light tank, slightly damaging it. "We should be focused on trying to survive, rather than the problems we have right now!"

Another mortar flew into the group, as it forced Rosie out of cover, as she immediately sprinted back to cover, while dodging enemy fire, and firing back to drive them away.

Welkin and his group managed to make their way through one of the passages leading into the area, as they ended up on the opposite side of the crevasse that separated the group from the other squad-members.

"We'll have to hurry up. It doesn't sound like that Squad 7 is doing well without us..." Welkin stated.

"First, we need to clear our path. I can see that the crevasse has a path that should take us to the other side from the ground." Gus told Welkin, before they slowly advanced, and encountered a enemy camp in their path. "Imperials ahead... We'll have to take them out. Maybe we might be able to help the squad-mates, if there is something that we can use for ourselves."

The squad of four immediately moved forward, as they dispatched the soldiers quickly, as they took the armoured soldiers out with a shot to the head. Eventually, they managed to find a mortar site that was hidden among a large layer of leaves and branches. Gus rushed in and killed the operating crew, before coming out with a 'all-clear' signal.

"They hid a mortar cannon way out here..." Welkin commented on the inactive mortar site.

"That must have been the one that fired on us last night." Alicia noted. "Maybe if we could use it..."

"We'll need two people to stay behind to crew it. A operator and a spotter..." Gus told them, before a idea formed in his head. "Wait... I'm a Scout... I'm fit for acting as a spotter for this mortar... And then there's Sally, who knows mortars quite well... Welkin, we'll stay behind and man the mortar. Just give us commands when you return to the Edelweiss. We'll fire at any position you find."

"That's..." Welkin muttered, as he was surprised that Gus managed to find a way to use the mortar cannon to their benefit. "That's actually good for us! Gus, Sally, would it trouble you to man this mortar cannon for us?"

"Of course not, Welkin!" Sanae exclaimed back with a enthusiastic smile. "We'll bomb the Imperial soldiers from afar, and they won't know for a while what even hit them! Just go and lead everyone forward, alright? We'll be fine here."

"Understood." Welkin nodded, as Alicia and Welkin immediately took the path down, which would take them across the crevasse. Gus and Sanae immediately prepared the mortar cannon, as Gus loaded a mortar round into the cannon, while Sanae immediately fiddled with the stationary weapon, making sure that she has it aimed at the Imperials, when she is given the order to fire.

On the other side, the rest of Squad 7 noticed that the mortar-fire has stopped completely.

"The mortars... stopped?" Nancy asked.

"Then that would mean... the boss is here, and so are the ones with him!" Largo shouted.

"Then that means that we just need to hang in for a little more! Give the Imperials everything we got! We won't let them steal our chance to turn the tables on them!" Richard roared with boldness.

Vyse let out a war-cry in response, as he blitzed a pair of Imperial soldiers, as he shot them down in furious gunfire, before he threw a grenade that caused the Imperial soldiers to retreat slightly, to avoid being hit directly by it.

Welkin heard the conversation, as he immediately doubled his pace, and made it to the ladder that would take him out of the crevasse. He then climbed the ladder, with Alicia following soon after, as he sprinted to the Edelweiss.

"We're back, everybody! Sorry to worry you." Welkin cried out to the Edelweiss, as Richard turned around.

"Welkin!? Thank god, we knew you made it when the enemy mortar ran silent!" Richard cried with joy and relief. "Hurry inside! We need you to man the tank and lead the squad forward!"

Welkin immediately hopped onto the tank, as he slammed the top hatch open and slid inside of it, as he came face-to-face with a relieved Isara.

"Welks! Oh good... Are you hurt at all?" Isara asked frantically.

"No, we're fine. What's your status here, Is?" Welkin answered back.

"We were unable to break through the enemy line without you to lead the Edelweiss." Isara reported back. "Now that you're back, we'll launch a tank offensive on your command."

"All right, good. Squad 7, commence the counterattack!" Welkin ordered.

"About time! Let's kick these Imps back from where they come from!" Rosie shouted with annoyance, as she rushed out of cover, firing at the enemy aggressively, forcing them to take cover, as the other members advanced.

"Hey, Welkin, where are Sally and Gus?" Richard asked Welkin. "I thought that they fell down with you and Alicia. Are they fine?"

"They're very much fine. And you're about to see where they are, and what they managed to do." Welkin told Richard in a cryptic tone.

Marisa rushed up to one of the Imperial light-tanks, as she ran along in a zig-zag formation to shake the enemy fire off her, then circling around the tank, and firing off a lance shot right into the tank's exposed radiator, exploding it, as she immediately fell prone on the ground to avoid enemy fire.

Before the Imperials could change their firing trajectory to hit her, Welkin immediately activated the squad comms. "Fire at this position!" He called out.

"Got that! Mortar round incoming, ordered by yours truly!" Sanae chimed in with a sugary tone, as a mortar shell whistled into the air, as it struck the group of foot-soldiers that were nearby the tank, as they were thrown apart by the direct hit, leaving everyone stunned at how the enemy mortar site has been captured for use.

"Welkin... You brilliant son of a gun..." Richard muttered with awe. "You turned the enemy's mortars against them!"

"Actually, it's your friends' idea. Sally and Gus stayed behind to man the mortar cannon." Welkin honestly responded back.

"Oh, they're messed up now!" Vyse howled with laughter. "Talk about a unexpected turn of events for all of us, eh?"

"Give the order, Welkin, with the support we have, we're certainly going to win this battle." Richard told Welkin.

Welkin's only response was to direct the tank cannon, and fire a anti-armour shell at the other Imperial tank, as the stronger cannon shell managed to shake the tank upon impact, and dealing considerable damage.

"I got this, boss." Largo stated, as he immediately crouched down and fired his lance at the enemy tank, as it exploded from the rocket.

After seeing how their tanks were easily dispatched, thanks to Welkin's return boosting morale and reinforcing Squad 7's offensive, as well as the mortar cannon that has been turned against them, the Imperial troops become disheartened, as they immediately made for a retreat, running frantically away, abandoning their own camp for the taking, as the footsoldiers of Squad 7 rushed up to claim it. Some of them tried to fire back, only to be mowed down by the stormtroopers and the manned MG gun on the Edelweiss. Without much difficulty, the enemy main camp was taken, signifying the end of the battle.

"Mission complete! We've taken their main base for ourselves." Welkin confirmed victory, watching the demoralised Imperials flee from the area.

"Roger that, we're coming back to your side, Welkin." Gus responded back.

Welkin then exited the tank, as everyone gathered around him and Alicia. The only reaction he could make in this situation, was to press his feet together and calmly saluted back. "Lieutenant Gunther, reporting for duty." He stated with a very formal tone.

Everyone saluted him back, before Largo smiled a little. "We really missed ya, boss.. Lieutenant, that is." Largo stated, before giving off a wide grin, as he walked over and stuck a hand out.

Welkin took Largo's hand and shook it firmly, while Rosie looked back at the Edelweiss, and climbed on top of it, and looking down into the tank.

"Aren't you gonna welcome your brother back home, Isara?" Rosie asked firmly.

"Huh?" Isara blurted out, as she immediately clambered out of the tank, and hopping down on the ground.

"You was worried about him, weren't ya?" Largo asked, as he kept shaking Welkin's hand.

Isara blushed a little at the comment, as Richard noticed it and smiled warmly at Isara. Isara, seeing Richard's smile, felt some comfort from the warm gesture, as she walked over to Welkin.

"Welcome back, Welks... I'm glad you're alright." Isara stated.

Welkin then walked over, and then placed a hand on Isara's head, shocking his little sister slightly. "Thanks... So am I..." Welkin answered back with a caring tone.

Isara then turned to everyone. "Everyone... Largo... Rosie.. Rain... Vyse... Mari... Remy... Nancy" Isara said, before bowing gracefully to each of them. "Thank you for looking for my brother at least. I'm in your debt."

Rosie then looked away, with rosy cheeks, as she tried to smile calmly, although it was a bit shaky. "Heh. Having some dark-hair thank me... well, it's weird." She commented stoically.

"Don't worry, Rosie. You'll get used to getting such compliments from us 'dark-hairs'." Richard replied back with a warm tone, as he smiled brightly. "After all, if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have managed to find a way to damage the Batomys back then, thanks to your idea. And you always supported the entire squad, even me, without much complaint. I'm glad that you're warming up to us."

"Wha!? Don't assume things so quickly!" Rosie squawked back, before she then muttered to herself inaudibly, as Isara chuckled slightly at Richard's words.

"Good to see him in one piece, though. You gotta admit that. Right?" Largo asked Rosie.

"Alright, everyone, let's pack it up and get moving back to Randgriz. We have wasted quite a lot of time with the events here." Welkin ordered everyone. "Take a break, we'll go in a few hours."

"Aye aye, commander." Vyse stated, before he then looked at Rain, and did a quick salute. "See you next time, Rain. I'll be looking forward to the day that you're healthy enough to take the field."

Rain nodded slightly, as everyone dispersed, except Alicia and Welkin, as the latter was strapping the supply bag he was carrying onto the side of the tank.

"Well, it was an adventure, alright. And pretty scary too, but I feel like I got to know you a little better, Welkin." Alicia told Welkin, running up to him. "And when you said that Squad 7 was like your second family, it made me feel... I felt really happy. So... thanks for that, Welkin."

Welkin nodded slightly and hummed softly back, before Rain then leaned down to face them both.

"Hey, you two. How was your trip with Sally and Gus, not too worrying, right?" Richard asked. "I knew that you guys were definitely alive, even with the size of that explosion. But I was worried about how unscathed you all were. Now then, something about Squad 7 being a second family?"

"Yeah, we talked about, when we were alone. Sally and Gus chimed in with their own idea, saying you were the figurative big brother of the family. And that they and your friends were the cousins to the members." Welkin explained. "And I don't doubt it. You seem to take care of your junior members well, and the others seem to bond well with the other members."

"Really? I never thought of it that way... But still..." Richard asked with a raised eyebrow, before he chuckled heartily. "I can see the idea in concept. To be fair, we were thinking the same thing ourselves, since you guys are a second family to us as well... When we lost our family, you and Alicia picked us up. And when we joined the army, other than my Darcsen lineage causing some problems with people, we got along quite well with the others."

Richard then looked over, as he saw Sanae petting Isara quite feverishly, as Isara was trying her best to get the excited and doting girl to stop, as Rosie and Largo seemed to enjoy it, before he then looked back at Welkin and Alicia.

"Yeah... That's what I think, truly." Richard nodded slowly back.

"Rain... Can I tell you something?" Alicia asked.

"Sure, go on ahead, Alicia. I'm happy to listen to whatever you got to say. I'm quite happy that you and the others managed to come back safely to us, and that's all it matters for me." Richard agreed.

"Rain... we encountered a Imperial soldier, who seemed to be torn by the Edelweiss's MG." Welkin stated. "He was in a dying state, and Sally couldn't do anything to help him. He was crying for his mother and about returning back to home. Alicia managed to give him peace in the last few moments. So I believe that the Imperials aren't as bad as they seem.

Richard's expression went from cheer into completely shock and disbelief hearing that, as his face didn't move at all, with eyes wide open and lips tightly pursed.

"...Why are you telling me all of this, Welkin?" Richard asked back in a slightly disturbed tone. "...You're not saying that I tried to kill him in pure vengeance?"

"I'm not saying that at all." Welkin stated. "It's just that... I feel like... this truly makes one doubt their view of the enemy... When I came to think that every soldier that we have fought and killed, were just like this man, who merely wanted to survive and return to their families happy and free... It just makes me doubt myself... Am I really doing the right thing...?"

Welkin's eye betrayed a sense of doubt, as his voice was slightly troubled. Richard was left grasping at words, as he tried to say something, but all that could come out of him were silent mutters and sighs. After a few moments, Richard took a moment to take a deep breath, before then looking at Welkin with a very sad face.

"Welkin... Despite what happened to my village... What happened to my family..." Richard spoke gently, before he then breathed heavily again, his breath a little shaky in trying to rein in emotion. "I... I cannot forgive the Imperials for what they have done... But I don't truly hate them with a burning vengeance... All I want is that the ones responsible will be brought to justice for this. Even if it's the only way to get my wish... I will never slaughter Imperials for any reason, especially in spite or vengeance of their wrongdoings..."

Richard then closed his eyes, as he leaned back on his porch. "Both of you... The reason why I killed every Imperial that I have come across in battle, is not truly because I wanted to defeat them, but because I wanted to defeat them myself, so that I could give them a swift and relatively painless death. In war... Dying quickly is a miracle among the battlefield. Even the smallest wound could be life-threatening in the right circumstances, and most soldiers die suffering in their last moments, alone and cold in the unforgiving world around them." He continued. "That's why a swift death is needed, so that they won't be able to suffer the despair and suffering of a inevitable death approaching them. When I shot, I always made sure to kill the enemy with a swift shot to the head... So that they will die without any sense of pain afterwards. That is what I truly believe in..."

"Rain..." Alicia muttered with a sorrowful tone. "Do you... really think of it like that...?"

"Alicia... What you did for that man, was the greatest kindness you could bestow to a dying soldier... The peace of mind..." Richard told Alicia, before he smiled grimly. "If only every soldier would be rewarded for risking their lives to protect those they love, with one final moment of peace that will let them pass on without suffering or regret. But this is cruel reality... Very few get that kind of privilege... Let alone those who get their wishes fulfilled by the hands of their own enemy, who actually cared for them, despite their differences. I believe that there is only two ways to perform notable kindness on the battlefield, one is of respect, where you bestow your enemy a quick and honourable death, to respect their drive to fight a war that would kill them, for the sake of their own ideals. And the other is of compassion, which is to spare an enemy, when he is helpless before you. I wish I could do the latter, but all the power I have, and I can only use it to kill people in a relatively peaceful manner. Those who fail, are doomed to suffer a fate worse than death, most times, so I grant them death, while they still have the choice of dying with both dignity and honour."

Welkin and Alicia were silent, as they slowly soaked in Richard's words.

"Welkin... Alicia... I want you to listen to this, for this was a saying that has been told by my very adopted father..." Richard said solemnly. "He told me that a good soldier kills without ever considering that his enemy are human beings, who are like them in so many ways, having a family to protect, and having dreams and hopes like us. He told me also that trying to show compassion to your enemy would be like doing the opposite: You're condemning them to suffering that you are unaware of. Until you've pulled the trigger on an enemy, you're not ready for war. You're only ready to die. That's what he told me... That this world was one where in war, you kill or you die. That's the truth... But even when I saw my enemy as a human being... I found my conviction. Behind me are my friends and the ones that I cherished. I pull the trigger because I want to protect them, because I won't let the enemy pull the trigger before I can, and condemn those I protect... I will kill, because it's the only way I can protect people... And death... Death is a mercy in war... There are far more cruel things than slaughter and murder in war... Far, far worse..."

Richard then felt his eyes become moist, as tears leaked from his eyes, as if speaking of all of this invoked another one of his repressed memories, although he did not sob or sniff at all. After he felt his tears run out, he then opened his eyes.

"So now you know... I am sorry for making him suffer, even if it was not on my intention..." Richard spoke with a cracked voice. "I wanted him to die like the soldier he was, and be remembered as such... At least.. He will die cherished by his family, and by his nation... And I'm sorry that I'm such a pathetic man, believing that the only compassion in war is to grant a swift death to the enemy..."

Welkin was left speechless, although he then climbed atop the tank, and hugged Richard tightly, as the black-haired youngster's heart tightened heavily on the gesture. After a few moments, Welkin then let go of Richard, as he then takes Alicia and leaves the area.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Thwart the Federation's Plot!

Response to reviews:

-That would make some sense. Although Richard doesn't care so much about what the reasons for the kidnapping of Princess Cordelia's kidnapping, only that he and the others are there to stop it. Fortunately, Marisa is off the mission, because she's a lancer, and thus banned from the mission. So she makes herself useful by looking around for things that she could use to help. And one of those events is sneaking into the royal palace, using some of her witchcraft. She will overhear Borg and Townshend's plotting, as well as receive physical evidence, in the form of a signed agreement between both of them. As for what happens when Richard finds the proof... You'll see in this chapter.

-Neat idea. I might actually keep that in mind. And you're sort of right with how Richard is going to provoke them, because he will tell them that they should be careful of what they are saying, because they forget that the Imperials have Valkyria as well. Worshipping Valkyria openly, especially ones with the enemy, would be tantamount suicide, because it's effectively displaying signs of treason.

-Yes, Richard and his group will return in VC2, as war veterans. And they'll be bringing new members who will effectively be like the transfer students, while Richard and his group are going to be the instructors for each individual class. And considering what you said, everyone gets the humbling treatment, because Richard isn't going to be as nice as he was before. In fact, the 'reason' is that the years away from Gallia has changed him, making his a lot less optimistic, and a lot more strict and harsh, as well as earning biting sarcasm. And the antagonists? When they realise that Richard and his squad, who were legends on their own right, with their weapons and their unmatched skill, they're going to need brown pants, and a fanatic unbending will to not run away at first sight of any of them. And Richard is really going to enjoy humiliating the Revolutionary Army, especially Baldren, when they finally meet. In fact, here's a little snippet of the possible conversation between them:

Richard: Oh, I'm sure it's real nice, that you have ignorance thick enough to block an tank shell. I'm sure it's real nice that you hadn't had the same struggle as we Darcsens have. I'm sure it's real FUCKING nice that you didn't spend half of your childhood being abused just for being a Darcsen orphan, and then lost the only family you could ever have because of the war. Listen here, Baldren, I'm going to tell you this straight up and forward: I. Am. Sick. Of. Your. Shit. I have spent several fucking years wandering Europa, trying to find a purpose. And you know what I get, debauchery comparable to the crap you're pulling off. And you do fucking forget that it was the Valkyria who literally ravaged these damn lands, and you don't see me throwing a fucking fit about our race being discriminated in the first place, nor me slaughtering every Valkyria-born person I could find! No, I'm way above your shitty morals, and I'm proud to say that right in your damn smug face. So in short, Baldren; Go fuck yourself.

-That lesson is reasonable, but the Captain's position and morals are left ambiguous, and I believe that is for a reason. War isn't supposed to be nice, and nobody in war is a actual nice guy. Sure, they exchange acts of kindness, like a moment of cease-fire among enemies, like I have read once before, the soldiers and officers aren't truly good, because war does not discriminate between people, whether their intentions are just or not. Like they say, the way to hell is paved with good intentions. A pacifistic officer would be nearly useless in war, and a kind soldier wouldn't be as effective as one who is hardened enough to kill without hesitation. I think the Captain's appearance is to highlight that the Imperials aren't all the ruthless bloodthirsty people that other nations see them as, although the rest of his personality is left hidden, to avoid causing a contradiction when the scene came into play.

-That so...? I'll keep what you said in mind.

A/N Note: Yes, I meshed Sergeant Major into the ranks, although it does not exist in canonical Gallia army ranking. However, I prefer to follow the standard army ranking system, e.g the US military ranks. I will be adding few of these, although Sergeant Major and Ensign might be the only extraneous ranks I'll use for this story.

* * *

_Back in Randgriz, in the R&D department..._

"Man, you bros have been working hard on the frontlines, right?" Leon remarked, as he was holding a towel,that seemed to be soaked in his own sweat. "Been so long since we last applied some upgrades for you guys. Thanks to the abundance of materials and funding you all provided us, we managed to get you bros a huge overhaul in the combat department. New weapons and combat suits for everyone."

"I'm glad to hear that progress has been made quite quickly on this." Welkin complimented Leon and Kreis, who were conversing with him. "And what about the Edelweiss?"

"We'll have to list each and every one out, as there are quite a lot, since we managed to develop so many modifications for it." Kreis stated, before he then listed off each improvement with his fingers. "We have reinforced turret armour, to protect both the main cannon and the machine-gun porch, rivets have been reinforced to make the armour more durable and stable, spare parts for the treads have been made, to ensure that treads maintain some functionality when destroyed, several scopes have been developed for use, in order to assist cannon aim, extra magazines to store more tank rounds and mortar shells. The machine-gun has been improved to deal more damage to enemy targets, stronger radiator plates and enhancements to the treads have been made to reinforce the tank's defence. With some of these parts, you'll have to sacrifice some things to outfit the better parts in. And every class's weapons have finally reached a breakthrough point, where attributes can be specialised upon. For example, the T-MAG series of sub-machineguns allows for a larger clip size, as well as increased firing speed. They're more suited for those who get up close and personal with the enemies. Of course, the combat suits have been refined to absorb more impact and piercing than the older models."

"I see, I see." Welkin responded back. "You guys have been working quite a lot, since we got back."

"Ah, no worries. It's just repaying the work that you did for us, bro." Leon smiled back. "This is nothing, compared to the dangers that you have been facing together."

Suddenly, Gus came in, as he looked slightly exhausted, although he was trying his best to not to show it.

"Lieutenant..." Gus stated, as he saluted at Welkin. "It's a coincidence, meeting you here."

"Same here, Corporal Gus." Welkin saluted back dutifully.

"So, you heard of the promotions that Varrot has handed out to Rain and the rest of our group?" Gus asked back, before he nodded. "I see that the other members of the squad have seen us as a major contributing factor to winning our battles, as much as the officers, including you."

"Yes, and I think that it's well deserved, considering the feats that you and your group pulled off. Congratulations." Welkin praised Gus.

"Ah, thank you, Lieutenant." Gus humbly responded back, before turning to Kreis and Leon. "I'm here on behalf for Rain. How goes the research project of manufacturing the weapon based on the Imperial blueprints that we have taken."

"About that... We're going to need more time, even if it is just to manufacture a single prototype for use." Leon frowned back. "I mean, this gun is real crazy stuff. If you have something like that, then any Imperial force that comes in the path would most likely be torn to shreds, if they don't have enough armoured support with them. But we're making good progress on it."

"I'll relay the progress to him." Gus stated. "But remember, this is but a side-project. If you believe its a waste of resources, then feel free to abandon it. Rain and all of us won't hold it against any of you for it."

"No no, we're actually getting closer to making such a weapon in reality. Like I said, the funding and materials has boosted our efficiency in developing new things for the squad quite dramatically." Kreis answered back. "We just now need some more time to work on this."

"Then you have our gratitude then." Gus nodded, before he turned to leave.

"Wait, Gus... About what they said... Did you really manage to find a prototype Imperial weapon blueprint on our return?" Welkin asked quickly, as Gus whipped over to face his commander.

"You'll have to ask Rain about that." Gus answered back. "He's the one who claims that he found the Imperial blueprint in the Barious desert. It seems intact enough to him, to be used for development of a new weapon when we return to Randgriz."

"Hm. How goes your training with Sergeant Calvaro?" Welkin asked again.

"It's brutal, but rewarding. Even after taking a break, I could still feel the bone-crushing exhaustion from training myself hard. And everyone's in no better condition." Gus recounted. "Except for a capable few, like Rain, who managed to endure long enough for the training session to end. In fact, the training is doing wonders... People are becoming crack-shots, and some actually can shoot down a man by his vital points alone. And we scouts are much more lighter on our feet. And what frightened me the most... Remy is actually getting a complete 100% accuracy for head-shots, even on standard-distance targets for snipers. Hell, that surprised even the Sergeant, when he saw it for himself..."

Welkin nodded quickly, as he could understand why a sniper who could kill someone so easily from long distances with each and every shot, without any chance of missing the lethal shot.

"Anyway, now that everyone has managed to get a good grasp of our current situation..." Gus continued. "You and Faldio have been called to personally meet with the princess of Gallia, Cordelia, by personal invitation? It's actually quite inspiring to hear that our own leader has managed to get respect from the country nobility."

"Not so much, when I had plans to go bird-watching during our rest period..." Welkin sighed dejectedly. "Is' really wanted to see the birds with me in this city, one day."

"I give you my sincere respect and apology for having to take care of regal matters in place of your own." Gus bowed gently. "If you would excuse me, Lieutenant, I have my friends to deal with. Rain might cause some ruckus, if I'm not there to keep him in check."

"Yeah, see you after the ceremony then?" Welkin asked.

"It's a deal then. I'll get the others to come as well." Gus stated, before he then left.

* * *

_In a large bunk, where Richard and his group resided in..._

Gus then came into the large room, as he found Richard lying on the bed, taking a look at a Gallian-published novel, being quite absorbed in reading with it. Marisa was fiddling with her unloaded lance, who has been retrofitted into a Theimer series lance, the model line that boasted great firepower, while Reisen was taking care of her new Brondel M1, wiping it down, and disassembling it to clear its inner workings. Sanae was lying on her bed with her arms out, as she was relaxing with her head facing to the roof, with a relaxed smile on her face.

"Richard...?" Gus asked, as Richard immediately snapped his eyes to Gus. He then snapped the novel in his hands shut, before sitting up and placing it on the nearest table.

"What is it, Gus? What did Leon and Kreis tell you?" Richard asked calmly, before gesturing for Gus to close the door.

"They're not done working with it. It seems like the blueprint is quite complex, and need time to be completed, even with all the resources and funding that has been contributed to them." Gus answered back, as Richard shrugged.

"Well, they had a big boom in capability, thank to the massive cash-in of all the feats and materials we salvaged, but still, it's not that easy to replicate the Ruhm." Richard spoke back with a casual tone. "If I'm going to kick Imperial ass, I'll need the best weapon type I can get, and here, the Ruhm is it."

"But how did you even find the blueprints for it...?" Gus asked. "You told them all that you found these blueprints in the dunes of the Barious Desert. Would that be convincing enough?"

"Ah ah, I wasn't specific WHERE I got it from. I merely said, I found this during our long and hard sortie." Richard corrected Gus. "Still, it's easy to fabricate that, when I had a falsified blueprint formed by the kappa, developed so that the Gallian R&R can possibly make this kind of mega-weapon, without blowing their lab to pieces. And I gapped it into my hand, when ABSOLUTELY no-one was looking for me. So there we go, a new weapon is about to be birthed, the twin-brother of the famed Ruhm, the all-seeing and scathing eye."

"Do we even need it? We haven't suffered any severe wounds in our entire squad. Whether that attributes to the individual potential of everyone, or Welkin's good leadership, or even both, is what I'm uncertain about." Gus stated. "I mean, we have a head over the others, considering that we've had fought a worse war than this before, and we spent years fighting it, until it ended."

"I'd be sceptical about that." Reisen responded back, as she assembled back her Brondel back together, and setting it down beside her bed. "Every advantage on the battlefield is desired for everyone. Whatever form that advantage comes in, doesn't matter, nor does the magnitude of it. All that matters is that having the advantage is better than not having any. So Gus, I wouldn't be questioning the need for it."

"Right..." Gus muttered. "It's just that... using our research potential on improving the Gallian military is just a... waste."

"The sooner we end this fight, Gus, the more lives we can save." Richard responded back. "And that weapon will only work for me."

"Why's that?" Gus asked.

"Why do you think the Ruhm's unique to Selvaria?" Richard retorted back, sticking out two fingers. "There are two reasons. One relates to the current technology level of this world, and the other relates to the certain specifications of the weapon. Take a guess, Gus, I'm sure you can figure it out."

Gus placed a hand on his chin, as he pondered with a quiet hum in his breath. After a few moments, he then raised a finger to get Richard's attention and answer the question.

"Considering that the closest weapon to a automatic weapon that the people here can create, is submachine-guns, obviously trying to create a full-auto rifle like the Ruhm would be a great challenge for even the cleverest of researchers..." Gus stated. "And then there are the specifications of the weapon. The Ruhm is far too heavy for a typical soldier to carry, without sacrificing considerable mobility. Only Selvaria, who has enhanced strength due to her Valkyrian nature, could possibly use that kind of weapon efficiently."

"Got it in one." Richard snapped his fingers. "I take it you've been paying attention to the world around you, haven't you?"

"I do, but how are you going to convince the others that this unnamed weapon is going to be yours then?" Gus asked. "If it's going to be based off the Ruhm, then it's going to be hard to explain how someone like you can carry that weapon in a storm-trooper role."

"Simple, let the reasoning come naturally." Richard replied back. "You do remember that several members of Squad 7 were there to witness my battle with Selvaria, right? And they should have noted a particular transformation."

"Of course, nobody could possibly turn an blind eye to such a awe-inspiring event." Gus stated. "The rusted blades, turned into weapons that have been reborn into service once again."

"Does this remind about something, Gus?" Richard responded back. "And you might have also noted yourself what happened in that time in the tent."

Gus's eyes then widened, as he thought back to the time in the tent, where Faldio and Gus witnessed the signs of a hidden power not only manifesting in Alicia, but also in Richard as well.

"Wait... You purposely did that!?" Gus exclaimed with utter shock. "You emanated that golden aura... Just so that you could convince people that you are something to the likes of a Valkyria!"

"Mhm. You shouldn't be surprised. We were merely playing around in this war, Gus." Richard nodded. "Besides, you forgot, we purposely used none of our supernatural powers, to keep our true identities under wraps. If we weren't doing that, the Empire would be wiped in a day, period. I'd curbstomp Selvaria so hard it'd be a utter humiliation to her, had I went against her seriously. I didn't expect to get my leg punched out by her in a low blow, but I conveyed my point regardless. So I used the in-canon knowledge to structure a possible reasoning for whatever power I have, and have it chalked up as ancient Darcsen shenanigans."

"So that's why you have been acting as a Darcsen all this entire time..." Gus muttered with realisation. "You knew about the war between Darcsens and Valkyrias in the ancient times of this world, so you masqueraded as a descendant of one of these races. It's reasonable to say that Darcsens have a innate power of their own, considering that there might have been a way that ragnite powered some sort of magic invented or invoked by Darcsens..."

"And the penny drops." Richard clapped with a amused expression on his face. "Now you see how amazing and terrifying in-canon knowledge can be in the right circumstances."

"Then what then?" Gus asked. "What will happen next?"

"We're going to have to deal with Cordelia's unfortunate kidnapping." Richard shook his head. "But considering that Squad 7 are competent enough to handle the Imperial advance force mostly by themselves, let alone a few turncoats and a armoured car that only has a MG turret, it's going to get resolved quite quickly. Speaking of which, when's the ceremony beginning?"

"Tonight." Gus stated, as Richard sucked a breath through his teeth.

"Well, then we better get prepared." Richard stated. "Make sure you're ready at any time, because you could get the message from Welkin to gather up and sortie for the rescue. Oh, and Marisa?"

"Yeah?" Marisa responded back, as she stopped fiddling with her lance.

"You're going to have to sit this battle out." Richard stated. "Lancers like you and Largo are strictly forbidden, since we're not going to be blowing shit up, unless you want a gibbed princess."

"Really? Argh, that sucks..." Marisa stated. "Mind if I request something from you, Richard?"

"Go ahead, Marisa. I know the gist of what you're going to say." Richard replied.

"I'm going to pillage some treasure from the royal castle. I mean, Velouria's going to need something to curb that hoarding instinct of hers." Marisa answered back.

Richard merely sighed, as he placed a hand on his face, shaking it in utter disappointment. "Jesus... You're just saying that because your kleptomanic tendencies have arisen once again, like a 'certain' period in a woman's life..." Richard groaned. "Fine, go do whatever you want, but do try not to treat this like the Voile library. We REALLY don't want unexplained holes and marks inside the royal castle."

"Don't worry, I'll be careful." Marisa sneered back. "I've learned to leave much less traces of my handiwork..."

"You better." Richard scoffed with a frown. "I don't want any of this to be traced back to us."

"Yeah, yeah, you don't need to worry about it." Marisa pouted and crossed her arms in slight annoyance.

"Anyway, we got quite a bit of time..." Richard stated, before he then pulled out a deck of cards. "Card games anyone? Debts carry over when we return back."

"You're on." Marisa smirked evilly. "I'm going to wring you so dry that Reimu will take pity on your poverty."

"May as well. I need some entertainment myself." Reisen agreed, as she immediately walked over and sat near Richard and Gus.

"Count me in, I'm always up for some fun with you guys!" Sanae excitedly chimed in, as she walked over, and plopped herself on the ground.

"Mhm, nothing else to do either way. How long will this game go?" Gus asked, as he took a place on the ground.

Richard merely smiled, sitting down on the ground himself, before he then snapped his fingers, creating sukimas that dropped stacks of betting chips.

"Until the call for duty comes." Richard casually responded back. "Each 10 rounds, game type changes. Current types are blackjack, poker, texas hold'em, Big 2 and Hearts. Betting systems account for the point ruling of each card game type. All I can say is that you better think on the rails, because it's going to be one hell of a gambling megamix here. You in?"

"In." Reisen nodded.

"Ain't pussing out this early! Count me in!" Marisa smirked.

"I'll play by the rules, but you'll need to explain the point-to-chip ratios for each game." Gus told Richard.

"Ooh, I wonder what will happen then..." Sanae said, with a sly grin, rubbing her hands together.

"Then... let the chaos begin, so I say." Richard stated, as he started shuffling the cards, before dealing two cards for each person. "First game is blackjack. Bet all you want, but only show your cards if you bust, or get blackjack."

Everyone immediately nodded, as they got into the game.

* * *

_Several hours later..._

"A surprise from me!" Sanae exclaimed with a devious look in her eyes, as she dealt out a Queen of Spades, which was the largest card out of the trick, although this trick's suit was hearts, and the one who dealt the highest card in the original suit was Richard, who immediately blanched.

"You fucking with me!? 3 Hearts plus the Black Queen!? And I played the lowest heart in my hand!" Richard exclaimed with pure shock. "Goddamnit, I should have expected that there was something like this on store for me, when I left my cards like that!"

He then dejectedly collected the cards in the trick, as Marisa jotted down the new point count in a small notepad, recording the scores of the players for the Hearts section of the card-game sequence. Gus and Reisen looked at the tricks, as they carefully observed the situation, as the round still hasn't ended.

"No come-back this round." Richard stated, before he then played a 7 of Spades. "Go ahead, do your worst, I can't be more screwed than I could ever be now."

The cards that came into the trick were 3 of Spades from Gus, 9 of Spades from Reisen, and a 5 of Diamonds from Sanae. After seeing the results, Richard sighed and shook his head.

"Shitty luck in these sections. I swear, the hearts are like heat-seeking missiles to me, when I specifically play to avoid them..." Richard murmured under his breath.

The group kept on playing, as Richard was getting more and more Heart cards into his collection, although after the 9th heart card or so, he didn't seem to be depressed, but instead a lot more anticipating.

"Wait, am I going to get what I'm going to get?" Richard asked with some disbelief in his voice, as he continued playing. "I'm already bad as it is with the Black Queen, but..."

The next trick played, with a King of Spades from Richard, as Gus reluctantly played a heart card, and the others either had a card that was not the same suit as the one that Richard played, or had a Spade card less of value. Richard collected his 10th heart card, as his anticipation grew.

"Come on... Come on...!" Richard muttered strongly under his breath, as he played a Ace of Spades, as Reisen and Sanae provided Heart cards of their own, and Gus could only play a 8 of Spades.

"Yes... Yes... I know one of have the last heart card..." Richard's lips curled into a smile, which turned into a wide grin of its own, before he played the last card in his hand, a Jack of Spades. "Come on... Come on... Show me what you got..."

The other players looked at each other, as they then sighed, and played their cards at the same time. Gus had the last Heart card, and Reisen's and Sanae's card weren't even the same suit as Richard's.

Richard immediately froze, as his mind tried to cope with the miracle that occurred before him, as he let out a triumphant cry.

"Shoot the moon! It's a complete fucking moon shot!" Richard screamed with pure joy. "Holy shit, I never thought that I'd get one! Holy shit... HOLY SHIT!"

Richard then raised his hands to the air, as tears of utter euphorism ran down his cheeks, as the other players and Marisa, who sat out for this 10-round section of Hearts gave him applause in respect for his accomplishment.

Suddenly, there was the sound of frantic footsteps, as Richard immediately cut his celebration short, and turned to the door, as everyone stood up as well. Soon, the door was slammed open by a panting Vyse.

"The Princess has been kidnapped by the Federation!" Vyse exclaimed to them. "Captain Varrot has issued an urgent order for Squad 7 to intercept the kidnapping and rescue her! We are to meet at the city plaza, where we will rally and begin the operation!"

"What!?" Richard exclaimed. "So the peace conference was a lie to them...!? This cannot stand! Everyone, get moving! We have a princess to save!"

Reisen immediately slung her rifle onto her body, while the others rushed out. Marisa lagged behind purposefully, as Vyse immediately followed after the group.

"What about me?" Marisa asked, as Richard nodded to her.

"You enjoy your break. You're not needed for this mission." Richard told Marisa, with a wink. "Hope you'll have fun."

Richard then turned to leave, as he rushed to get himself armed and prepped for combat, with the rest of his group. Marisa, meanwhile, was taking off her Gallian military uniform, and dressing herself in her standard black-and-white costume, which was stored in the bunk's closet with her trusty broomstick. She then rushed out in the opposite direction, as she made her way to sneak into the royal castle while the chaos of the princess's kidnapping is still in effect.

Rescue Team: Edelweiss, Rain, Sally, Remy, Gus, Rosie, Alicia, Vyse, Aika

* * *

_In the streets of Randgriz..._

The various members of Squad 7 have spread themselves among the streets leading to the docks, as they looked around for threats.

"This is Rain reporting, I'm in position at junction D5." Richard reported.

"Gus here. At Junction C3. Keeping an eye out for enemies." Gus stated.

"Remy at Junction D2. I'll secure a proper sniping spot, and take out any enemies that are within my sight range." Reisen stated.

"Sally here, I'm just beside you, Welkin." Sanae chimed in, as she waved in front of the tank to make her point.

"I'm at the small base between Junction C2 and C3, with Vyse. Tell us where the transport vehicle is, and we'll rush to intercept it." Rosie chimed in.

"Alicia Melchiott here, I'm waiting at Junction B3." Alicia added.

"Good, everyone's in position."

"Aika here, I'm just a junction away from the small base, at C4. After all, I can't keep much distance from Vyse baby, alright?" A peppy female voice rang through the comms.

"Good, it seems that everyone is in position." Welkin responded back to the other squad members. "They cannot get to the harbor, Squad 7! We'll stop their plot here and now! Squad 7, move out!"

"Lieutenant, it's likely the ambassador has the princess with him inside that armoured vehicle." Varrot stated. "You know how to disable the vehicle. But please note that due to the fragile nature of the stolen APC, we cannot use any kind of explosive in this battle. Even an accidental explosion could harm the princess."

"Understood, Captain, we have had our lancers Mari and Largo side-lined for this mission. And we have ensured that no explosives have been taken on mission." Welkin answered back.

"Welks, even if we can't attack with it, the Edelweiss can still block the APC's path." Isara notified Welkin on a possible idea to use.

"Yeah, on a narrow road like this, there's no room to slip past a tank in your way!"

"Sounds like a plan. Let's get the princess back safe, guys!" Welkin reported. "The APC should be armed with a headlight, for safe travels. If we can see those lights, then we will have a rough estimate of its position and orientation."

"And I can see some lights down one of the streets our position is beside of." Rosie responded back. "It's faint, but... I think that light must be the APC's headlights. It's on the left side, so it should be... Junction A2 or B2."

"Your information is appreciated." Welkin stated. "Seems they might have plans to head down the second avenue to reach the harbor. But I can block their path like this..."

The Edelweiss then moved under Welkin's command, to block the avenue that the Gallian APC was going to take, as it was forced to reverse itself out of the avenue, wasting precious time.

"They're certainly unhappy about us blocking their route." Welkin stated. "Everyone, keep an eye out for any federation special forces. They have changed into Gallian military outfits, to throw our suspicion off them. But Captain Varrot states that any and all soldiers not of Squad 7 are potential turn-coats, so they are to be eradicated like any other enemy."

"I found some!" Alicia responded back, as the sounds of her rifle firing could be heard, followed by the sound of bodies hitting the ground. "They brought some lancers with them. Must be expecting armour like the Edelweiss disrupting their escape attempt."

"I've gotten on top of the sniping position." Reisen stated, as she immediately placed her sniper rifle up, as she looked for any hidden Federation soldiers to shoot. "I'm keeping an eye out for any enemies that I could find."

Soon, the Edelweiss was attacked from the side by a grenade, as the explosion damaged the treads slightly. Sanae immediately reacted to the attack, aiming at the perpetrator, who wasn't fast enough to avoid detection by her, as she took them down with a shot to the head.

"Looks like they got the treads, how bad is the damage?" Welkin asked Sanae.

"It's not too serious." Sanae replied back, glancing at the treads, which weren't damaged too much thanks to the adjustments made to it.

"We'll have to assume for enemy reinforcements as well... They could be hiding anywhere, waiting to spring an ambush on any unlucky soldiers who are targeted by it." Welkin told everyone. "Keep an eye out for enemy positions when moving, 7's, even in the dark night. Anyone who's available, take a route to Junction C3, if possible. The Gallian APC transporting the princess would be likely to be there, due to the third avenue being the only route for it to take to reach the harbor."

"Found a enemy sniper." Reisen informed everyone, as she immediately used her enhanced vision to get a good sight on her target, before dropping the hidden sniper with a single shot. "It's taken care of now."

"I'm moving up." Richard stated, as he sprinted across the junction, before he ran into some Federation soldiers from behind. The movement caused both the group of soldiers and Richard to notice each other, although Richard reacted much faster, shooting them before they could finish turning their backs to face him. "Scratch a few Federation soldiers. They were hiding in Junction C5."

"Moving up, and ooh, sighed target armoured car!" Aika stated, as she noticed the Gallian APC was slowly moving into the junction that Welkin stated. The Gallian APC's machine-gun turret immediately swivelled around to face Aika, before it fired off a series of shots that caused her to duck behind cover. "Yipe! And attacking hard right now!"

"I'm coming, Aika, just give me a moment!" Vyse stated. "Come on, Rosie, we got sight on the target vehicle! It can't possibly see us while Aika's distracting it!'

"Sheesh, cool down, your girlfriend isn't in any danger as long as she keeps her head down." Rosie quipped.

"Found enemy scout!" Alicia reported back, as she took down the Federation scout, before advancing to see the Gallian APC in front of her. "Armoured vehicle sighted. I'm south of it."

"Good, we have a proper pincer on it." Welkin stated. "Rain, Gus, where are you guys?"

"I'm right in Junction C4, just give me a moment!" Richard shouted back, before he then reached where Aika was, as he managed to catch sight of the young female soldier, who had brown eyes, and long blonde hair that is twisted into two straight pig-tails on the side of her head. She noticed Richard coming, with a expression of relief.

"Oh, it's you. You're Vyse baby's good friend, right?" Aika asked Richard. "Thank heavens that you're just the kind of person he needs as a friend."

"No time to talk. Aika, could you do me a favour and distract the APC for me?" Richard questioned back. "I think that 'Vyse Baby' is about to come near the enemy APC himself. So we need someone to draw fire, while we rush up and attack the exposed radiator plates to disable the vehicle."

"Anything for Vyse baby and his friend." Aika smiled sweetly, as she leaned out of cover, and shot at the APC, drawing it's attention, as it slowly moved, while keeping the MG aimed at Aika, constantly causing her to lean back into cover, as she reloaded each time she did.

"I won't get there in time, Welkin." Gus stated. "Let the stormtroopers take care of the APC."

Richard then saw Vyse coming from the opposite side, as they looked at each other, exchanging silent gestures, and then nodding. They then immediately rushed into the junction, before they then slid around to face the exposed radiator of the APC.

Both of them then unleashed synchronised fire onto the radiator, damaging it severely, before they were forced to roll in separate directions to avoid the shots coming their way. However, Rosie popped up while the APC was occupied with the other two stormtroopers, as she cocked her weapon menacingly.

"Ha, this isn't even fair now!" Rosie stated, as she knelt down, and carefully aimed her submachine-gun. "You're going to regret messing with this squad!"

She then fired a barrage of shots that finally disabled the APC, as the radiator plates, damaged beyond use powered down.

"This is Rain, the target vehicle has been completely disabled. I repeat, it has been completely disabled!" Richard reported to Welkin.

"Good job, everyone! Operation complete! Let's get Her Highness out of that vehicle!" Welkin praised everyone.

Everyone immediately moved up to the disabled APC, as Richard immediately moved around the vehicle, before finding the vehicle door, as he immediately made a move to open it, keeping one hand on the gun, a finger to the trigger. However, seeing that the enemy could have already prepared to ambush him the moment he tried, he stood back, and moved beside the door, just enough to be out of sight of anyone inside, when he would open the door.

"To those inside the transport. We of Squad 7, of the Gallian Third Regiment, have you surrounded on all sides." Richard declared loudly, as he had both of his hands on his weapon. "Surrender the princess unharmed, and we will ensure that you will be treated by a fair court, or released back to your country. Otherwise, we will be forced to use lethal force to dispatch your men, ambassador of the Federation. Don't waste this opportunity to walk away from all of this with your hands clean."

There was only silence, as Vyse and Rosie moved around,as they circled in front of the door, pointing their guns at the door, and cocking them audibly to reinforce Richard's threat. After a few moments, the APC's door slid open, revealing two Federation soldiers, who were driving the APC, and the Federation Ambassador himself, who was a man in his forties, with white hair that is curled into rolls on the sides at the hair-ends, and dressed in a white tuxedo suit and a long red tie. All of them came out, with their hands right up, although the ambassador was scowling at Richard.

"You are making a foolish mistake here, young fool." The ambassador scowled at Richard. "Gallia cannot survive on it own against the Empire. There is mutual benefit of having Gallia become part of the Federation. You would have had our utmost support in your war against the Empire, in exchange for the ragnite deposits in your land."

"But we never asked for help against the Empire. We were still going fine without your support." Richard argued back. "Besides, the story I heard is that you already brokered such a deal with the prime minister and yet, you resort to such ungraceful measures of kidnapping our royal figurehead for your own purposes. I think that your intentions with Gallia are far more sinister than you speak of. Why else would you have resorted to kidnapping of Princess Cordelia?"

The ambassador was left without words, as he merely glared back at Richard. Richard did not react to that, as he turned to Vyse and Rosie.

"Keep an eye on them." Richard stated. "I'll head into the transport, and try to find the Princess."

"Got it, Rain. They won't dare to move a single muscle with us on them." Vyse responded back.

Richard nodded, before he entered the transport, as he slowly entered through it, before he found Princess Cordelia locked behind a steel gate that trapped her inside the APC, as she was a tall lady with blue eyes, and wore a large head-dress that covered every part of her heard except her face, as well as a long flowing blue and white dress. She then looked up to Richard, as her eyes widened in astonishment.

"You're..." Cordelia muttered with surprise in her voice. "You are... just like me..."

"Princess!" Richard cried out, as he rushed up to the steel gate. "Hold on while I break this open!"

He then flipped his sub-machine gun around, before he then used the reinforced wooden stock to bludgeon the metal lock on it, using more and more effort with each time. Eventually, the lock soon gave way to the force that Richard was using, as it broke in two, and allowed the steel gate to be opened from Richard's side.

"You're safe now, your Highness." Richard humbly spoke, as he reached a hand out. "Come on, we have made sure that the entire area is clear for you."

"Y-Yes..." Cordelia responded, as she took Richard's hand gently, allowing him to feel her soft silky touch in his hands.

Richard and Cordelia then left the transport, as the Federation soldiers and ambassador were gone already, as Richard turned to Vyse and Rosie, who were waiting for him to come out.

"Where are the ambassador and his escorts?" Richard asked.

"They were taken away to the harbor, where they are forced to return to their country." Vyse answered back. "Some of the squad members personally went with them to oversee their exit from Gallia."

"Your Highness! Are you alright?" Welkin asked in a frantic tone.

"...I am unharmed." Cordelia replied back, as Richard let go of the Princess and backed away from her, to give her some personal space, considering the events she went through.

"Oh, good..." Alicia sighed in relief.

"Being princess ain't all fancy dinners, huh? Gotta be hard carrying a whole country." Rosie remarked.

"Can it, Rosie! That's the Princess of Gallia you're talking to!" Largo scolded Rosie harshly in response.

"No. It's quite all right. She speaks the truth." Cordelia responded with a solemn voice. "As scion of the Valkyrur, it is my fate to live and die for Gallia's well-being."

"Are you sure that isn't just your excuse, Your Highness?" Welkin asked back.

"What?" Cordelia blurted out, with a shocked expression.

"If you label the status quo fate, you can run from the responsibility of changing it." Welkin continued.

"You too, Welkin! Have a little respect here for the Princess!" Largo shouted.

"Every living thing in this world struggles to live and pass life onto a new generation." Welkin stated, ignoring Largo's words. "They use all the instincts and animal wisdom they can just to live that one day longer. That powerful, animal will to live is... I think it's a beautiful part of nature."

Cordelia's breathing become heavy, as she seemed to be moved by his words.

"Your Highness may be descended from Valkyrur, and that may carry a burden." Welkin said. "The old ways and traditions you follow may be important to uphold. But I hope you won't throw away the will to live your own life because of them."

"That's enough, Welkin-" Largo stated, before Richard turned to him, and shook his head at him, causing him to cut his words mid-sentence.

"Let it be... Welkin needs to tell Your Highness all of this from his heart, in truth." Richard told Largo firmly.

"...Perhaps it is as you say, and I have been running from my responsibility unknowingly." Cordelia replied back. "It is indeed mine to consider. my life's role within the Valkyrian bloodline."

"Y-Your Highness..." Largo stammered.

"I am most envious of your ability to speak your mind so frankly, Lieutenant Gunther." Cordelia told Welkin with some envy in her voice. "But time enough remains to consider my role. By my own will. Thank you for your words."

"Not at all." Welkin smiled and nodded.

Suddenly, there was a loud rumbling sound emanating from Cordelia's stomach, as she immediately covered her stomach with a embarrassed look on her face.

"Wow, even a princess's gut will wake up and say hi when it's empty." Rosie quipped with a chuckle.

"I-I am..." Cordelia muttered with a blush on her cheeks.

"Rumbling bellies are a clever bit of animal wisdom all humans share." Welkin replied, before turning to Alicia. "Alicia, have we got anything to eat?"

"You bet! I brought some of the cinnamon rolls I baked this morning!" Alicia answered back, before she reached into one of her pouches, and pulled out a small cinnamon roll. "Here you are, Your Highness."

Cordelia takes the bread softly from Alicia's hand, before silently taking a bite of the roll, before her eyes widened in awe, as the taste of the freshly-made cinnamon roll was amazing to her.

"I have not had such bread before, but it is quite agreeable." Cordelia spoke with amazement in her voice.

"Ah ha! I'm glad!" Alicia chuckled with a smile.

"All right. Let's get Her Highness back to the capital." Welkin stated, before speaking with Cordelia. "Would you like to take a ride in the Edelweiss with us?"

"Of course..." Cordelia nodded. "I'm sure that I'll be safer in a vehicle than on foot."

"Don't worry, the Edelweiss is a snug place to be in, despite its external appearance. You could even give birth in there safey, ahahaha!" Richard joked, before he got slammed on the back of his head by Alicia. "Ow! What was that for!"

"You shouldn't be telling such things to Your Highness!" Alicia chided Richard. "That does not leave pleasant thoughts for anyone!"

"I see... I'll take your word for it, Sergeant Major..." Cordelia responded back.

"Rain. It's Rain Craider, your highness. As one of the few Darcsens in Squad 7, I am merely glad that we have set aside the hatred between our races, and reinforce the hope that one day, Darcsens can finally co-exist with everyone in unity and happiness." Richard responded back with a smile, before he turned to Welkin. "I'll man the MG, in case any Federation ambushes come out way."

"Right, let's move." Welkin stated, as everyone made their way back to the royal castle.

* * *

_Meanwhile in the royal_ castle...

The small handful of patrol guards circled around their patrol routes, as they stopped occasionally to look around for anyone that might be trespassing through the royal building, flashing their flashlights in all directions, before then continuing along.

However, unknown to all of them, a certain figure, invisible to the observer's eye was passing through the halls, strolling past the guards leisurely, causing them to look around for the source of the presence passing by them, only to find nothing, leaving them confused about what just happened.

Eventually, the figure reached its destination, standing before a large vault door, which was locked by a complex locking mechanism. The figure then reappeared into full opacity, revealing that it was Marisa, who was wearing her original black-and-white witch outfit, as she was standing before it with a smug look on her face.

"Bingo. Looks like the loot should be here." Marisa smirked, before she then cracked her knuckles. "This shouldn't take long."

She then pulled out several metal tools from her dress, before she fiddled with the locking mechanism with all of them, alternating between tools often, before she then finished solving the final step of the locking mechanism, as the sweet sound of a lock being slid open rang out to her ears.

"Music to my ears... Well, I've had enough experience being a thief, thanks to all those trips to the Voile Library. So this is no problem for me, ze~" Marisa sniggered to herself, before she then opened the vault door, and entered the room behind it.

The room she found herself in, was a large treasury room, that was crowded with various chests. She then flipped open each treasure chest without regard to caution, as each one she opened was filled with coins, gems, jewellery and various other luxuries. Despite the wealth in each of these chests, Marisa didn't seem at all happy with what she got.

"What, just all of this?" Marisa muttered. "Geez, I could get that stuff back at home, or at any other world. Hell, I could go for a trip to the Underworld to find much more dazzling treasure. Sure, Gallia might be a nice place, and this is worth a lot to them, but what good there is, if I don't find something worth taking!? Maybe there's something better inside of it..."

Marisa sighed dejectedly, before she then rummaged through the contents of each chest, as she was looking any particular item that would stand out of the stacks and piles of gold and jewels that were each of them. After searching through them for a while, she managed to find a azure-blue necklace, which seemed to glow in reaction to Marisa.

"Oh, this might be worth taking." Marisa remarked, as she pocketed the glowing necklace. "Anything more...?"

She then keeps on rummaging through the rest of the chests, before she then found a small enclosed letter in one of them, as it had the Gallian Royal Seal on it.

"Hello, what is this...?" Marisa remarked, before she then opened the letter, before she then read through the content inside of it slowly. As she read it, her eyes suddenly grew wider and wider in both shock and horror. By the end of the letter, she immediately folds the letter and pockets it, as her expression was frantic and worried.

"This is big stuff here...! I think this allows me to know who else was responsible for the kidnapping of the Princess!" Marisa exclaimed. "Forget the treasure, I've got more important things to do now, than to just waste my time looking for treasures that I won't possibly keep for myself, or give to Velouria!"

She then exited the treasury room, before she then moved up to one of the windows, and slid it open. After that, she mentally commanded her broomstick to come to her, by the front of the window, as she hopped onto it, and immediately jetted away from the royal castle, and back to the dorm, to get herself dressed back into Gallian uniform, before she gives the letter to one of her friends.

* * *

_In front of the royal castle, after some_ time...

The Edelweiss soon arrived to its destination, as the rest of Squad 7 waited around the tank, still vigilant for any threats that may ambush them and the royal princess.

After it came to a halt, the top hatch opened, as Welkin came out of the tank first, before helping Cordelia out of the tank and bringing her to the ground safely. Richard also exited the machine-gun porch, and landed on his two feet on the ground, before turning to where Welkin and Cordelia was.

"We managed to make it safely back to your castle, Your Highness." Welkin stated.

Soon, the castle guards by the front gate appeared, as they immediately opened the gates, and rushed to take care of the princess.

"Princess Cordelia, you have returned to us safely. Are you harmed anywhere?" One of the guards spoke.

"No, I am unharmed." Cordelia responded back. "It was thanks to the effort of Squad 7 that I was rescued from the Federation, who planned to kidnap me."

"Tch... Those Federations bastards had a knife to our throat while we were making peace talks with them, and we never realised it..." The other guard growled. "Come on, your Highness, we need to get you safely back to the castle. We'll take it from here."

"Please do." Welkin nodded, before turning to Squad 7. "It seems that we managed to avert a national crisis here. You're dismissed until further notice, all of you."

"Whew, this is going to be one hell of a moment to remember." Vyse muttered with surprise.

"I'm glad that I got to have a mission with you, Vyse baby. Come on, let's go back and take some time off together." Aika warmly told Vyse.

"Yeah, let's." Vyse smiled, before the two of them left the area together.

Rosie merely flipped her hand, as a farewell gesture, while Largo sighed in relief, as they both went their separate ways. Welkin and Alicia then left, as Alicia hopped onto the Edelweiss, and clung onto the side, as Welkin boarded the tank, as it drove back in the opposite direction, leaving only Richard, Gus, Reisen and Sanae there.

"Well, I guess we won't get a medal for this, like Welkin?" Sanae remarked.

"Be quiet, we're not glory hogs, we're good soldiers." Richard chided Sanae.

"Rain has a good point here. You shouldn't be concerned about the merits that result. The princess will surely reward the squad as a whole for this." Reisen stated. "It doesn't matter what the compensation is, as long it does not cause problems to arise."

Marisa then came sprinting from the opposite direction, as she made to the group, with her being completely out of breath, as the rest of the group turned to her.

"Mari, why are you here!?" Richard asked with surprise in his voice. "I thought you were taking care of other matters!"

"Sorry, Rain... huff... huff..." Marisa breathed heavily, before she then pulled out the letter she found. "You guys have to read this... This is really important for all of you... It's related with what just happened."

"With the kidnapping?" Richard asked, before Richard snatched the letter out of Marisa's hand, before folding it open. As he read through the content, he found that it was written by the conspirators of the kidnapping, as one was a Gallian noble, and the other was a Federation member, potentially the ambassador that Squad 7 has released back. And on the bottom were two signatures, one from the Federation Ambassador, and the other was written in name, and although there were many bends and curves, he was able to discern the name of the Gallian traitor. When he did, his eyes widened.

"What is it, Rain?" Sanae asked, only to get Richard rushing towards the closing castle gates in response, causing her to turn to the sprinting friend. "Hey, wait! Where are you going!?"

Richard immediately sprinted along the castle path, as he quickly caught up to the princess and the royal guards that were escorting her. Once he was within earshot, he immediately waved the letter in his hand, and shouted.

"Your Highness! Your Highness! Wait! There is something urgent that you have to come and see!" Richard shouted as loudly as he could to get her attention. "I have the truth behind the kidnapping in the letter clasped in my hands! You have to know the identity of the conspirators!"

Cordelia immediately turned around, as she immediately signalled for the guards to stop, as they looked back to the rushing militia member coming their way, as they hesitantly stepped away, as Richard stopped in front of Cordelia.

"Sergeant Major Craider... You must be extremely determined to relay this message to me, if you would run right into the royal castle to catch up to me." Cordelia remarked. "What is the letter in your hand, that you wish to give it to me?"

"The absolute and complete truth of the kidnapping, Your Highness, written by the very treacherous hands who conspired this plot." Richard stated, before giving Cordelia the letter with both hands. "Please, your majesty, you must read this. The traitor might have plans to flee the country if the truth is found even a moment later. And I must tell you, this truth would be quite hard to swallow, even for a determined scion like you, Princess."

Cordelia immediately folded the letter open, as she became shocked when she read the letter that confessed the conspiracy itself, especially when she found out who was responsible for this, along with the Federation Ambassador.

"This... This is truly devastating news, Sergeant Major." Cordelia spoke with a utterly appalled tone in her voice. "To think that one of our own has plotted my kidnapping to force Gallia to secede into the Federation... It's truly unimaginable."

"I am aware of the repercussions of letting this knowledge run free among the public." Richard spoke with a solemn voice. "If word of this gets out, the Federation will have the right to commit full hostilities with the country, and we won't survive long fighting against the Federation and the Empire at the same time, annihilation would be a inevitable end."

"Then why... Why would have me know about all of this?" Cordelia questioned Richard back.

"Because... you deserved to know the truth about all of this. Because you didn't deserve such a position thrust onto a maiden with many burdens, like you, and suffer all of these conspiracies that threaten your hold and your own life." Richard responded back with a shake of his head. "I may have a plan, to deal with the fall-out of all of this."

"What will you do...?" Cordelia asked.

"Will you be inviting Welkin to receive a award for rescuing you from the Federation?" Richard questioned back.

"Yes, I believe so, in a few days if possible. You require entry in it? Then I'll make arrangements for it." Cordelia responded back. "But are you certain that the traitor who masterminded my kidnapping would be certain to be in this very award ceremony then?"

"I'm fully certain of it. After all, the letter dictates who is responsible for this." Richard answered back with determination, before he shook his head with a grim look on his face. "And it seems that not even those within your inner circle are to be trusted... Now then, I need to lend your ear, your Highness. Here is what I suggest, to help prevent matters from getting worse..."

Richard then leaned forward, as he whispered the plan he had in mind, into Cordelia's ear, as the Gallian princess listened intently to every word...

* * *

_A few days later, at the award ceremony in the audience hall of the royal castle..._

"Lieutenant Welkin Gunther, step forward!" The Gallian Prime minister, Maurits von Borg, declared, as he stood by the side of Cordelia, the princess sitting on her throne. He was a slightly old man with blonde hair that has curls sideways on the back of his head, and long twisted tails on the sides of his head. He wore a ceremonial blue Gallian royal robe, with white frills on his sleeves.

"Sir!" Welkin saluted, as he left his position, which was beside Richard, who was staring intently at Cordelia, flickering his eyes between each of the people near the throne, as some of the commanders, including Varrot herself.

"For excellence in valour and deed, you are hereby awarded this honour." Borg continued, before gesturing one of the men to bring a black box to them, before it opened to reveal the Gallian Medal of Honour, a medal of a eight-pointed blue star, with a silver unicorn head in the middle of the star, with a yellow bell-shaped curve under it, and grey star-points jutting out of it, between the points of the blue stars. "Your Highness, please bestow this medal upon the young lieutenant."

"Gladly." Cordelia responded back, as she stood up, and took the medal, before slinging it over Welkin's neck. "Congratulations, Lieutenant Gunther."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Welkin gratefully thanked the princess back.

"Though I have yet to reach an answer to your question before, it drives me still." Cordelia continued. "To understand my responsibility as a sovereign, and as a single human life."

"Your Highness..." Welkin muttered with humbleness.

"Oh, and know that one tradition already lies sundered by my will." Cordelia noted. "I had the cooks add cinnamon rolls to my daily breakfast."

"Alicia will be happy to hear it." Welkin smiled and nodded back.

"Lieutenant Gunther! You forget yourself, before the princess!" Borg scolded Welkin, who immediately silenced himself.

"Sir! My apologies." Welkin apologised to the prime minister of Gallia.

"With this, today's ceremonies are ended! Highness, would you like to grace us with a word?" Borg said.

"...Lieutenant Gunther, I hope your allegiance to Gallia stands firm evermore." Cordelia told Welkin.

"Yes, Princess!" Welkin exclaimed back, saluting at the princess.

"Now then, before we end the aware ceremonies, I would like to discuss a certain matter that has recently occurred." Cordelia stated. "It regards my kidnapping a few days ago, by the Federation. Had it not been for the actions of Lieutenant Gunther and his Squad 7... I would have been held captive by them, and Gallia would be forced to be absorbed into the Federation as a result. That is why Lieutenant Gunther has been awarded the Gallian Medal of Honour."

Everyone seemed to chatter amongst themselves, regarding this matter, as Borg glared at the princess momentarily, before he then returned back to his calm composure. However, Richard noticed Borg's suspicious look, as it caused him to be more alert of the shifty prime minister.

"There has been no explanation regarding about how my kidnapping was conducted without a hitch, until Squad 7 intercepted the Federation special forces near the harbour." Cordelia continued. "However, a member of Squad 7, has managed to find a crucial piece of evidence, that has the details of the plot written within it. I have received a letter that has been written between the two conspirators of this foul plot. One was Jean Townshend, the Federation Ambassador, and the other, which I must regret to inform all of you, was a Gallian citizen."

Everyone erupted into gasp and cries of outrage, as Borg began to become more and more uneasy, causing Richard to slowly move towards the front, to get closer to the Princess and the prime minister beside her. Welkin, was left shocked, as he had absolutely no idea which one of his members was responsible for finding the evidence that exposed the plot behind Cordelia's kidnapping.

"What is even worse, is that this person, is within the very inner circle of Gallian royalty." Cordelia said, with a solemn tone. "It seems that there has been unrest among the nobles of Gallia. I have turned a blind eye to all of this, until the letter opened my eyes to the truth. The letter details that the other person plotted to usurp the throne in my absence, to gain control of the royal lineage. And that very person is..."

Cordelia turned to Borg with cold eyes. "You, Maurits von Borg." She spoke with a condemning tone, causing the Prime Minister to immediately break into cold sweat, as everyone's attention was directed at the shaken Prime Minister.

"W-What are you talking about, your Highness?" Borg stated with shudders in his voice. "Surely you jest, how could I possibly have betrayed the country for the throne? I have done so much for the people of Gallia, surely someone who has loyally devoted himself to the cause, wouldn't dare to do such treachery behind the back of Your Highness?"

"There is undeniable evidence right with me." Cordelia stated, before she then pulled out the letter, as she showed the signature on the bottom of the letter, as the other one was by no mistake, Borg's own. "This signature is surely yours, and it has been signed without any fault or mistakes. This proves that only you would have created this signature, Borg. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Borg was left speechless, as he was left stunned, unable to formulate any words from his blubbering mouth. After a few moments of blabbering, he suddenly shoved Cordelia to the ground, before he then rushed through to one of the audience hall's other entrances, shoving people aside as hard as he could.

However, Richard immediately dashed off the ground, as he hunted down Borg in no time flat, and slammed the traitorous prime minister to the ground, before pinning his back onto the ground, and dragging his arms up.

"Unhand me this instant, you Darcsen savage!" Borg cursed at Richard loudly.

"Your order means nothing to me, traitor of Gallia." Richard growled back, before he then pro ced a set of metal handcuffs that locked the prime minister's arms together. "Conspiring to take the throne by kidnapping the current ruler. That is truly high treason, Borg. As part of Gallia's army, I will have you brought to justice for your immense crimes."

"You don't understand! The Borg Household was supposed to be the ones that are to rule Gallia!" Borg shouted with rage. "Do you know what it's like to have your household diminished, just because we were severed from our high positions, because of Gallia's independence!? We could have prospered, if we just returned back to the Empire, as we have centuries ago!"

"Your delusions only take you so far, Borg." Richard retorted back, as he dragged Borg up onto his feet, before then bringing him across to Cordelia. "While you and your household prospered under the light of the Emperor, who had ties with your lineage, the rest of the continent suffered. And to have betrayed the scion of the Valkyrur for such petty goals. You are truly craven and opportunistic, under that false shell of yours. The Empire are the very reason we continue to fight, because they seek to make Gallia suffer for them, for their own gains. If we are to be defeated, then let it be in blood and oil, dying on your feet, fighting on our last breath, than to die kneeling before them, and waiting obediently for our execution."

Borg was left speechless, as the royal guards immediately took Borg, as the princess looked at him with a betrayed look, before she then gestured for him to be taken away. While the royal guards did so, Borg thrashed and raged, trying to break free of his bindings and the people restraining him.

"I should have been ruling this country!" Borg roared with his whole voice. "If it was for that, then Gallia would no longer be a threat! You are merely struggling futilely against the Empire! You cannot win this war alone! You will have this country destroyed, Cordelia! Destroyed!"

Soon, the audience hall doors slammed shut, as Cordelia then cleared her throat.

"It seems that there is one more recipient for an award." Cordelia stated, before turning to Richard. "Sergeant Major Rain Craider, step forward before me."

"Yes, your Highness?" Richard asked gently, as he turned to the princess, and walked in front of her.

"For having served this country truly, despite your disadvantaged background, and allowing a complete resolution to the kidnapping plot, I hereby award you the same honour as Lieutenant Welkin." Cordelia stated, before the same soldier returned with another black box, with another Gallian Medal of Honor. "Congratulations on your award, Sergeant Major Rain. You are now part of the few Darcsen soldiers in Gallian service, to have received this award."

She then pulled out the medal, and slung it over Richard's neck, as everyone was left stunned, especially Richard, who did not expect this to happen at all.

"Y-Your Highness...!" Richard spoke with a shaky voice, as he is unable to regain his composure. "I... I can't possibly accept such a great honour for my actions! It wasn't a sole effort, that letter was found by one of my friends! If I'm awarded such a medal, then surely she would be given one as well!"

"But it was you, who formulated the plan to apprehend Borg, who was responsible for my kidnapping." Cordelia responded back. "Thus, I cannot let such a miraculous action go unrewarded."

"I... I..." Richard stuttered, before Welkin then walked up and placed a hand on Richard's shoulder.

"Come on, Rain, smile a little." Welkin told Richard with a friendly tone. "After all, you managed to make history here."

"Welkin... I..." Richard blurted out, before he then took a deep breath, as he looked at the medal on him for a moment. He then smiled, clasping the medal in his hand. "I guess you're right... I should be happy after all."

Ellet immediately popped out of the crowd, as she gave them a thumbs-up, before she then counted down with her fingers. Richard and Welkin immediately scrambled into their positions, as they stood beside the princess, with their Gallian Medals of Honor hanging proudly around their necks.

The camera shutters then snapped, immortalising this moment into the history of Gallia, where a Darcsen received a Gallian Medal of Honor, by bringing the traitor prime minister, Maurits von Borg, to justice, standing alongside his superior, Lieutenant Welkin Gunther, gifted the same honor for leading the rescue of Princess Cordelia.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Liberating Fouzen.

Response to reviews:

-That would likely occur offscreen, and would be mentioned sparsely. And as for General Damon, he won't be arrested, since despite his actions, he is still an integral part of the Gallian military chain of command, and getting rid of him would cause complications, if a proper replacement isn't found fast enough. And as for General Damon handing the responsibility of rescuing the princess to Squad 7 and the militia, I'm not quite sure. General Damon might have possibly had not enough troops to do it, and therefore ordered Squad 7 to do it in his stead. Whether he intended for Squad 7 to take causalities or not, he might have a genuine reason other than spite, for that. However, despite being unable to be arrested, he will have a lot of eyes on him, and thus, he can't make any plays for glory and fame, in sacrifice of others and morality, lest he ends up really getting court-martialled for such acts, despite his ranking. After all, being general doesn't mean you're the supreme authority.

-Richard will most definitely remind the Gassenarls about the fact that he was lauded a war hero, because of the fact that he managed to expose the corruption festering among the ranks of Gallian nobility. And the fact doing so actually made Gallia likely a far better place than it would have in canon history, where the plot was never exposed to begin with, and Borg had everyone kept in the dark. And if a noble related with the Gassenarls is involved with these misdeeds, they will most definitely get chewed out by him and his team, especially Marisa, who tells them that they have contributed more than hundredfold to the war, than the Gassenarls, who did not make any remarkable successes, unlike Squad 7, who actually fought with the Empire's Valkyria and survived without a single casualty. And the fact that Richard did something about it, despite having no authority or influence, which the Gassenarls had plenty of, would be a far more stronger stake through the heart, considering that a typical Darcsen like 'Rain', managed to do what the Gassenarls couldn't achieve, with a single letter that exposed the plot. In fact, this will be heavily spoken upon, between Richard and the Gasenarls, when they meet again in VC2.

-I'll take note of these details, when they get introduced.

-Here's my guesses for the respective reactions: Calamity Raven will gain a lot of respect for 'Rain', considering that Rain personally rooted out corruption from his own nation, to make the world a better place, and it will cause them to have pity on the fact that 'Rain' and them are enemies on opposite sides of the war, and they would likely have a clash of ideals should they meet. The Nameless could care less about 'Rain', considering that the matters of the other squads does not concern them. However, Imca of the Nameless, would actually respect 'Rain', considering that they're both Darcsens who have been sworn into military service, and that he is potentially like her, such that he wanted vengeance against the Empire.

-Richard will be making a lot of waves, and this 'chapter' will certainly have a major change.

A/N Note: Before you ask, the Ruhm and Victorie are closely related, but they are two different takes on a full-automatic gun. Compared to the Ruhm, the Victoire is a less hard-hitting, but still vicious weapon, with even better accuracy than the Ruhm, thanks to the fore-grip, and has much more rounds per barrage, due to the box-magazine being able to store much more bullets. And if it wasn't obvious enough, the Victorie is a fanmade weapon.

* * *

_In the briefing room, a few weeks after the Cordelia kidnapping incident..._

"We've been given orders for our next mission. The militia's taking back the city of Fouzen." Welkin told the officers in the room, which consisted of Rosie and Largo, as well as Isara, who was Welkin's tank driver.

"Fouzen's that big industrial city with those ragnite mines, right?" Largo asked.

"Yes. If we manage to reclaim it, it'll be a shot in the arm to Gallia's productivity." Welkin answered back.

"Sounds good. So, what's the plan, boss?" Rosie asked, before the room suddenly creaked open.

Everyone turned to the door, as the person entering through it, was Richard, who seemed to be wearing a officer's beret like Welkin, except it was tailored to fit specifically for him. He seemed to be smiling, as he strolled into the room, stopping in one of the empty spaces on the war table.

"Ensign Rain Craider, reporting for duty, Lieutenant Welkin, Corporal Rosie, Sergeant Largo. It is a pleasure to see you again." Richard formally addressed everyone, before then realising he forgot about Isara. "Oh, and you too, Corporal Isara."

"Glad to see you again, Rain. So you're now an officer as well?" Isara asked.

"That's right. Freshly promoted a few days ago." Richard nodded. "Turns out that the Gallian medal of Honor, as well as my exceptional battle record, has caused Captain Varrot to consider me for a officer position. Of course, I'll have to settle as a officer ensign for now, but I'm glad to serve regardless."

"Sheesh, you really kicked the hornet's nest back then in the awards ceremony." Rosie remarked. "I never thought that Borg was such a weasel, to have plotted the Princess's kidnapping back then. Glad he's locked securely behind bars, now that news of his betrayal went out."

"Yeah, the news talked about the kidnapping as Borg's desperate attempt to take the throne from Your Highness Cordelia." Largo commented as well. "I guess that the Gallian royalty didn't want it out that the Federation were behind it as well."

"I could see the reason why behind all of that..." Welkin trailed off. "Anyway, congratulations on your promotion to being a official officer of Squad 7, Rain."

"Thank you, thank you, Welkin." Richard nodded, before then looking around. "So, did I come in the middle of a briefing? Sorry if I may have missed anything important. I was just meeting up with Varrot to make sure everything's fine with my current position."

"We're ordered to take the city of Fouzen from the Empire." Largo stated. "That's what we discussed so far. So what IS the plan, boss?"

"The militia will break up into squads and set up a perimeter around the city." Welkin explained, using the map as assistance in his interpretation. "Once that's set, Squad 7 takes the point. Here, you may want to look at this."

Welkin then laid out greyscale photos of a large armoured rail vehicle, bearing the emblem of the Empire on its sides.

"An armoured rail vehicle?" Isara asked.

"Right. They installed it to defend their hold on the city. Now our mission is to destroy it." Welkin answered back.

"Yeah, okay, so we destroy it..." Largo mumbled. "Any idea HOW we take on a beast like that? I doubt even the Edelweiss will be able to penetrate its armour with its anti-armour rounds. Going to take a lot more than a pack of soldiers marching at it to do that, boss."

"Don't worry. We've got some hefty support on this one." Welkin assured Largo.

"Support, like who?" Rosie asked curiously.

"You know that Darcsens from Empire-held areas have been brought there, right?" Welkin asked everyone.

"...I've heard stories, yes." Isara responded back. "That they're being used as forced labour in ragnite mines and weapon factories."

"According to Captain Varrot, one of the men in the camps is acting as our agent." Welkin told them all.

"Here I get my hopes up, and it's just some dark-hair?" Rosie groaned, before looking at Rain, who was frowning at her words. "I mean, is he even as good as Rain is? Got any more great news?"

"What do you mean by that?" Isara asked, offended by Rosie's condescending comment.

"Hmph. I'm just saying I hope this guy's not as stubborn as someone else we know." Rosie stated.

"Please stop judging people solely by your preconceptions. All Darcsens are different. Rain and I are apparent examples of this." Isara responded back.

"Sure could have fooled me. I couldn't tell you dark-hairs if I tried!" Rosie scoffed.

"Rosie, don't take this too far." Richard firmly warned Rosie.

"I don't believe you have ever really tried to, Rosie." Isara retorted back.

"No, you just didn't-!" Rosie fumed, before she was stopped by Largo using his hands to block them off.

"Ugh... just drop it already! Rain's already trying to stop this." Largo groaned. "We're soldiers. We'll do our best out there. If the orders say work with a Darcsen, we do. That said, I ain't making any promises if this guy turns out to be useless, you hear?"

"Ahem, Largo. Remember Vasel?" Richard coughed to interrupt Largo.

"Vasel, what do you mean-" Largo replied back, before he then thought back to the time where he and Welkin first met with Rosie, as he suddenly felt stupid for what he said just before. "Oh. Yeah, I guess I wasn't taking you seriously back then, boss. But my worries still remain."

"Well, we can't know for sure until we meet him, but the mission hinges on him." Welkin stated. "We begin the march on Fouzen at first light. The attack begins at sundown. Everybody, dismissed."

Everyone saluted to each other, before they filed out of the room.

"Where will you be heading next, Rain?" Welkin asked, as they passed by each other.

"I'm going to collect my project. Leon and Kreis gave me the heads-up that the weapon is already been completed, and the testing is almost done. All it needs is my personal use of it, to see how it works for me, before I take to the battlefield with it. Gus and Sally will be there to watch the testing. Will you come?"

"Sorry, but I'll be busy having to sort out who will be on the mission roster with all of us." Welkin refused firmly.

"That's a shame. Ah well, you'll get your experience when we reach Fouzen." Richard shrugged, before he then turned away from Welkin, as they went their separate paths. "See you then, Welkin."

* * *

_In the R&D_ department...

Richard then entered the research building, as he was soon met by Leon and Kreis who walked up to him.

"Hey, bro! I'm stoked that you're here! What can I do you for?" Leon asked Richard with his ever-present smile on his face.

"I would like to ask if the weapon has been prepared for testing." Richard answered back.

"Ah yes, we made sure that it is safe to use." Kreis nodded. "All we need is some observational data, when you use the weapon. Please, come with me. Your friends are waiting at the testing grounds for you."

Richard followed Kreis, as Gus, Reisen, Sanae and Marisa were waiting outside of a large area, where a makeshift shooting range was made, as there were conveyor belts that made several of the targets move, and electronic devices to raise the targets in sequence. They looked at Richard, as Richard then went up to the first position, where he then found the ammo boxes for his weapon just in front of him.

"Please wait here, Ensign." Kreis politely told him, before he then walked over and whistled out loud to one of the researchers, as he immediately ditched whatever task he was doing, before then rushing over to the other side of the facility.

After a few moments, the researcher came back, holding the complete project weapon. It was a large assault-rifle shaped weapon, which had a large box-shaped magazine attached to the bottom of the weapon, a large reinforced-metal stock on the back-end, a long ring-shaped iron-sight on the top of the weapon's body, and a long barrel that had a fore-grip attached on the middle of the barrel, along with a large rectangular muzzle-brake. It was painted with blue and white colours, as there were blue and white bands of colour along the length of the barrel, and the metallic black stock had the Gallian emblem engraved on it.

"Here we go, the finished Victoire." The researcher told Richard, as he handed the weapon to Richard. "We managed to use the Imperial blueprints to create a variation of their weapon project. With this, this weapon should be capable of full-automatic fire, with astounding accuracy, thanks to the improved muzzle brake that we managed to create through many attempts. It also possesses a relatively high calibre on its bullets, something that is considered to be close to the kind that sniper bullets use. And so, we can only produce one of these, unless we can find a way to speed up the production of this weapon. Something like this, has drained the R&R department of considerable resources. I hope that it would be worth the effort placed into it, Ensign."

"I'm confident in your ability to make such a weapon." Richard responded back, as he took the Victoire into his hands, before he then ejected the empty box magazine, and swapped it out for one of the magazines in the ammo box, before he then looked over the weapon for a moment. "But I'm here to make the final tests to it. After all, I was the one who suggested the project. It's only fair that I would be the one to evaluate it."

"It looks so cool..." Sanae remarked, as she knew that the Victoire is a variation of Selvaria's own Ruhm. "To have so much power in a single gun... I wonder if more could be made, how powerful the Gallian army would become as a result...?"

"I guess that is something to be considered." Kreis stated, before turning to Sanae. "And I have something to tell you, Corporal Sally."

"Yes, Kreis?" Sanae asked back.

"Considering that the weapon uses an entirely different calibre to other weapons, the Victoire wouldn't be viable in prolonged combat, as it won't have any standard means of refilling ammunition." Kreis stated. "That's why I must delegate the role to you, as an Engineer, to carry the ammunition for the Victoire, in addition to your standard load, so that we can allow mid-battle restocking of Rain's weapon. Considering that you always sortie with him, you are the most viable member for this task."

"I understand." Sanae answered back. "I'll gladly take the task."

Kreis smiled, before Richard finished checking the weapon, before he then immediately equipped it,pressing the stock against his shoulder, and placing his left hand on the trigger and grip, and the right hand on the fore-grip.

"Alright, I'm ready, Kreis." Richard stated. "Tell me when you're ready to start the final testing phase of the weapon."

"Right, the testing shall begin..." Kreis responded back, as he walked over to a small activation console for the targets, and immediately flipped the switches on. "...now!"

The targets, operated by ragnite-powered machines, immediately stood themselves up, as they were in the form of various shapes and sizes, some being Imperial soldiers, standing or crouching, or smaller items like a round target, and various everyday items. They seemed to be made of reinforced metal, to avoid causing damage from the Victoire's bullets penetrating into them. And the ones on the conveyor belts immediately starting moving across the range, at varying speeds.

Richard then steadied his firing position, before he then pressed down the trigger, bracing himself for the potential recoil from firing the weapon,despite the attachments that would help negate most of the effect. The automated weapon immediately let out a continuous stream of fire that was far faster than what the sub-machine guns of the Gallian army could achieve, as the recoil was quite little, as Richard quickly adjusted to the recoil after resisting it enough.

Everyone watched as the shots from the Victoire seemed to be precise, as the shots often gathered in a single line or point, as Richard made sure that he aimed for the heads of the Imperial soldier targets, riddling their small-heads full of bullet-holes, that surprised everyone.

"Holy god... I wouldn't want to be that poor guy." Marisa remarked, her face paling slightly at the amount of overkill Richard's weapon did to it.

"Seems like that the ambitious task of making a automatic weapon like this accurate is not truly impossible. Such an accuracy on this weapon, could rank it among the levels that standard sniper rifles could achieve. And considering the long barrel, the weapon might possibly possess the same firing range of a rifle." Reisen examined the Victoire in action, as Richard wielded it quite well for the first time using the weapon, as he didn't falter significantly with it at all, despite how chaotic the weapon was in his hands. "Truly, this weapon would be considered one of the unique weapons of this era... Possessing the beneficial qualities of three weapon classes... No wonder creating such a weapon would require nothing short of a miracle."

"So this is what you had in mind..." Gus muttered to himself. "But I don't know why you would do this... What kind of impact are you trying to achieve?"

Richard continued along the rest of the shooting range, moving from position to position, and reloading his weapon with quick and efficient handiwork, as he made sure that every single target had at least a single shot through it, even though he barely managed to get some of them. After a few moments, the last set of targets went down, and the Victoire's barrel had grey smoke pouring from it, due to how the gun has been forced into prolonged use. He noted the smoking, and turned to Leon.

"Hey, Leon. The barrel's smoking. Is there anything wrong with overusing it, like causing the internal mechanisms to be overheated, producing this smoke from the barrel?" Richard asked the researcher.

"Nah, bro. The grey smoke is just a harmless by-product of firing that weapon in full-auto." Leon chuckled back. "It sure is a good cosmetic effect. Makes it look like those old wartime movies, where the soldier hero disposes the minions, as his weapon is left smoking at the end of the encounter, and they blow out the smoke from the barrel themselves. It's just so cool though!"

"I see." Richard responded back, before he lowered the Victoire and nodded. "Well, I guess that this should be sufficient data to prove that the Victoire is field-worthy?"

"Yes, I believe so." Kreis answered back. "Although it was a challenging task for all of us to piece together this masterpiece of a weapon, we did enjoy working on it, and seeing our combined efforts prove so full of worth and use. I hope that we would be able to create another weapon that is beyond the norm."

"I'll do my best to look for any abandoned prototype Imperial weapon blueprints, and hand them immediately to you, should I find any." Richard assured both him and Leon. "Anyway, will there be enough ammo for my next sortie?"

"Of course, we made plenty of ammunition for it, during the testing phase, in the event that you need to use the weapon immediately." Kreis answered back.

"Then I take my leave. And thanks again for your efforts." Richard thanked the researches.

"No problem, bro. Happy to help a bro of Welkin!" Leon cheerfully responded back.

"Come on, let's go, you guys." Richard nodded, as he immediately took several of the filled box magazines for his weapon, and replaced the ammo pouches on the waist with them.

Gus, Sanae, Reisen and Marisa soon followed after Richard, before they made it out of the department, as they walked through the Gallian military district together.

"I guess that this makes me even more useful as a member of Squad 7, doesn't it, guys?" Richard smugly stated to the others, waving the completed Victoire in his other hand.

"Man, but it sucks that you're the only one who gets this thing..." Marisa pouted, crossing her arms with a unhappy expression. "I wished that I had something of my own to use."

"Mari makes a fair point, Rain." Reisen stated. "It wouldn't be fair if you're the only one with a remodelled weapon in your possession."

"I know, I know." Richard answered back, before he then brought everyone closer with his arms, as he lowered his voice. "But to be fair, Gallian Ruhm wasn't the only weapon that I was going to have the R&D department working on. In fact, the blueprint was a test-bed of some sorts, to see if the R&D department can actually make something that is beyond canon."

"So that's why you gave them the blueprints to the Ruhm variant, right...?" Sanae asked back. "Then what kind of thing do you have in mind for us...?"

"You'll have to wait and see." Richard stated. "I have made the fitting weapons for you guys to use. We need as much of an edge as we can, if we're going to help bring this war to a quick and relatively better end. I just need the right moments to slip the blueprints in for you guys, so that you can 'find' them and give them to the R&D department to claim them as your own personal weapon. Soon, Selvaria's not going to be the only talk of the military rumour mill. Soon, Rain and his Victoire will be famed, and then you guys, with your weapons. The Empire will realise that they truly have been unfortunate to have us as our enemies soon enough. Fufufu... Fuhahaha~!"

Richard cackled loudly, gathering a lot of odd stares in his direction, especially from his friends, causing him to immediately pipe down, embarrassed for his immature action.

"...Seriously, Richard...?" Marisa harshly whispered with an unamused expression.

"Yeah, I guess I was a bit overboard there." Richard stated. "Come on, we need to prepare for our sortie in Fouzen."

Infiltration Team: Edelweiss, Rain, Sally, Gus, Remy, Mari, Largo, Alicia, Wavy

* * *

_In Fouzen..._

The deployed members of Squad 7 immediately arrived at the city of Fouzen, by nightfall, as the canyon-filled land had spotlights moving around, looking for intruders, and the distant sounds of tanks rumbling, to indicate that patrols were making their rounds through the area. The groups were split into three groups of three people, with Richard and Alicia standing beside the Edelweiss in the front squad, Reisen, Sanae and Gus standing in the middle row, and Largo, Wavy, and Marisa on the back row. Wavy was a Darcsen, with dark-black hair like Richard, as it was short and matted. He also had a moderately thick beard on his chin, and he had glasses over his dark blue eyes, and was a Scout like Alicia and Gus.

"Well, this is Fouzen..." Welkin remarked, looking around at his surroundings. "Looks like a complicated layout."

"Let's move carefully here. We don't want to be spotted." Alicia told Welkin.

"I should be able to quickly dispatch of the enemies in my path, as long as I have clear sight of them. In this night, it would be hard to achieve that. But still, I have faith that we can pull this through, Welkin." Richard said as well.

"Right." Welkin stated, before he then turned back to the rest of the squad. "Everyone, our top priority is to get to the rendezvous point! Squad 7, move out!"

He then entered his tank, before shutting the top hatch, and activating the squad comms.

"If we can use the trolley cars to traverse long distances without attracting too much attention, we might be able to find a way to ambush the enemy laying in wait for us." Welkin stated. "All units, proceed with caution, and try to stay behind the Edelweiss."

The squad advanced, before the Edelweiss spotted a enemy scout near their position. Before they could even react to the approaching squad, he was silenced by a sniper shot from Reisen, effectively keeping the squad undetected. After continuing forward, they managed to find one of the trolley cars that could be used to move around the area quickly.

"Found one." Gus stated, pointing out the small trolley car that was accessible by a small wooden ramp up onto the cart and its tracks, as the trolley car itself seemed to look like a small train head section, which was propelled by a ragnite-fuelled engine, which was visible above the back of the car, which was a large box to store people and items in.

"I'll take it." Richard stated. "There might be enemies on the other side of the tracks, and it might be where the enemies are laying in ambush of us."

"No, you can't!" Wavy argued with a worried tone, rushing up to Richard. "If there are really Imperial soldiers there, then it would be dangerous to go up there alone! We should find another way to get across."

Richard turned to Wavy with a stoic expression. 'Wavy... was it...?" Richard asked with a calm tone. "I remember that you're one of the Darcsens in Squad 7, and you have volunteered into military service, in order to protect what's dear to you."

He then walked up to Wavy, before placing a hand on Wavy's shoulder. "I understand your concern, Wavy. But it's that reason that I have to take care of them. I have the firepower, in the Victoire, I'm holding, to wipe them out swiftly, if need be. And you must understand that I have risked myself in far more dangerous tasks than this."

"But even so..." Wavy argued back, as he seemed to be concerned about sending someone as young as Richard to fight the Imperials on the other side alone. "I..."

"Wavy, I understand the potential reason why you refuse to let me go so easily. You were a teacher for the youth of the country." Richard responded back. "I know how young I am, but I have my reasons to fight, like you do, Wavy. So please do not insult me by undermining my own potential to fight the battle with the rest of the squad. You must understand, as Darcsens, that we have a responsibility to help clear our name. We may be considered the bane of the nation, but even with mockery and discrimination, we will prove that there is more to us than what they thought of us before. So please, let me handle this."

Wavy was left silent, as he didn't know how to reply to Richard's statement, before he then shook his head.

"I understand. And I'm sorry that I have unwittingly mocked you." Wavy apologised back to Richard.

"No, it was fine to hear that from you. To have someone treat me like the youth I used to be, it brings me a nostalgic feeling..." Richard smiled back. "Don't worry, Wavy. We will bring an end to this war as soon as possible, for the sake of the people we cherish."

Richard then immediately boarded the trolley car, before he then activated the engine, which rumbled to life, before it then throttled forward on the tracks, disappearing around the bend. Fearing that there might be already soldiers on the other stop of the tracks, he crouched down, and prepped his weapon for battle.

When he came to a halt, he waited a few moments, to see if the trolley car's arrival would have caught the attention of anyone nearby. When he was met by silence, he immediately peeked his head out, only to find a Imperial soldier, who dismissed the movement of the trolley car as some sort of mechanical malfunction.

Taking the opportunity to ambush his enemy, with their back turned, he immediately levelled the Victoire onto the side of the trolley car, before tearing the soldier with a short burst of gun-fire that sent the body flying off the edge of the cliff they were standing on. Richard then looked around again, being extremely careful of his surrounding, before he moved out of the car, and onto the ground. He noted that he was standing on the higher path across the area, as he could sees some soldiers below, thanks to the moving spotlights, and that there were some snipers standing on the same path, awaiting for any Gallian soldiers to be caught by the spotlight, where they would be shot to death by the stationed snipers.

"This is Rain, we got snipers where I'm standing, above the path you guys are taking." Richard reported to Welkin. "What should I do about them? They don't seem to be aware of you guys, as long as you don't get in their sight range, or get spotted by the various spotlights."

"Wait until we advance, and then dispatch the snipers." Welkin simply relayed back to him.

"Alright, got it. Waiting on your mark then, Welkin." Richard stated back, before taking position in a tall grass patch, laying belly-flat on the grass, and reloading the Victoire, by slowly exchanging the bullets between the used magazine and one of the filled magazines on his waist.

The Edelweiss then began to move, as the sound of the rumbling tank managed to draw the attention of two Imperial soldiers near them on the path, as they moved forward to investigate. When they found the customised tank sitting about, they were immediately alarmed, as they prepared a grenade to tear the tank's tread to pieces. However, before they could react, Alicia and Gus surprised them from the shadows, taking them down.

"Looks like the area ahead has spotlights." Welkin stated. "We'll have to move carefully and swiftly. That goes double for the Edelweiss..."

"Welkin, if I may suggest something." Reisen stated, as she loaded her sniper rifle. "I might be able to disable some of the spotlights, if trying to pass through without being detected would be likely to be impossible in the current state."

"Really, but how will you be able to do it?" Welkin asked. "You would have to target the light-bulb, in order to disable the light effectively. And the breadth of the spotlight makes it hard to make an accurate shot of it."

"That will not deter me the slightest." Reisen stoically stated, before she then scoped out one of the moving spotlights, before she then fired a single shot, that extinguished the light. "Like so, as demonstrated."

"Woah... That's amazing marksmanship, Remy..." Alicia praised Reisen's shooting.

"It's nothing of note." Reisen stated. "I'll shoot out as many spotlights as it takes to ensure that we pass through undetected. I doubt they would be able to formulate a response to the destruction of the spotlights fast enough before we leave the area completely."

"Right, we'll take note of that." Welkin said. "Everyone continue advancing."

The squad continued advancing, before they then reached the next stretch of land, which was where the spotlights were gathered. Since one of them was destroyed, the front half of the small pathway was much more safer than the back half, where all the spotlights were still running properly.

"It seems that we'll need to take care of the snipers. They could possibly snipe out all of you guys while you're escaping detection." Welkin noted. "Go, Rain."

"Roger that, Welkin. Taking care of the sniper problem this instant." Richard called back, as he rushed out of the grass, before firing the Victoire in full-auto burst, dispatching the line of snipers that were stationed across the path, clearing the way for everyone. "And I report that it's done. Thank goodness for the Victoire."

"The Victoire...?" Largo asked. "Is that the huge gun that Rain been lugging around?"

"Yep, it was christened so by the R&D department. It's one hell of a monster, I tell you." Marisa stated. "I saw it for myself."

Sanae then moved up, before she then noticed that there was an anti-tank mine positioned in the path, likely to blow the Edelweiss's treads out, and render it unable to avoid being detected by the moving spotlights.

"You might want to wait a moment, there's an anti-tank mine right there..." Sanae stated, as she waited for the spotlights to move away from the mine, as she rushed up to it, and quickly disarmed it. "There, now move, move, move!"

"Got it." Welkin nodded. "Everyone, keep going."

"Hold up, Imperial light tank on the bridge ahead." Richard warned Welkin, before he immediately moved down the path, and getting into sight of the Imperial tank. "I'll draw its attention with the Victoire. Surely it can't ignore its armour being plinked countless times from an distance. They'll think that there's a formidable force coming my way!"

He then fired onto the Imperial light tank, as it didn't do much damage to the body armour of the tank, although the Victoire's calibre was considerably big. As predicted, the Imperial tank immediately reacted by moving up to pursue Richard, before firing off a tank shell right at Richard, who immediately ducked down, to avoid the tank shell whistling over his head, exploding behind him.

"Well, now's your chance! Get moving, and hit that exposed radiator of theirs!" Richard shouted, as Marisa immediately moved up, getting within sight of the tank's radiator, before quickly setting up her lance, and firing a rocket into the fatal weakpoint, causing the Imperial vehicle to explode.

"Alright, we should be clear." Welkin stated.

"Not yet." Reisen interjected, as she shot out another spotlight, the one that was moving across the bridge. "Now it's clear."

"Heh, I guess I should be thankful to have you take care of that problem for us." Welkin chuckled with a awkward tone.

The Edelweiss was the first to move across, as it managed to trigger an anti-personnel mine, that exploded harmlessly under the treads of the tanks, as the rest of the group followed. Richard immediately descended from the side, and joined up with the squad. Gus immediately found an enemy lancer, hiding with a nearby patch of grass, as he immediately lured them out with a grenade in their position, as they were torn by the combined gunfire from the rest of the squad.

After that, the squad managed to take care of one of the enemy camps, as the Edelweiss fired a mortar shell that got rid of the two Imperial soldiers guarding it, before Wavy moved up and claimed the base for Squad 7. Nearby was another trolley car track, as the trolley car was ready for use.

"Well, another trolley car. Who should take this one?" Richard asked the squad.

"I'll go." Wavy volunteered.

"Oh, you're not afraid of the potential enemies on the other side?" Richard questioned Wavy with a raised eyebrow.

"I wish to atone for my earlier mistake." Wavy answered back. "I'll take care of the enemies that might be hiding in ambush for the rest of the squad."

"Hm. Then be safe then, my brethren." Richard spoke with a caring tone.

Wavy nodded, before he then boarded the trolley car, as it then moved across the track, onto the other side. Gus immediately moved forward, and managed to detect enemies in front of them.

"Two lancer captains and another light tank ahead, Welkin." Gus passed his findings to Welkin. "We may want to have Rain take them from afar."

"Rain?" Welkin asked. "But would his weapon reach them, or even hit them precisely?"

"I'd not ask those questions, Welkin, since you're about to get the answers to them." Richard stated, as he immediately squinted down the iron-sights, before lining them with one of the lancers, before then firing, as the shot travelled far across, and struck the enemy lancer, with most of the shots going through the head. He then aimed at the other lancer, who was panicked by the attack that seemingly came from nowhere, as they met the same fate as their partner.

"What the... So this was the weapon that the Imperials were trying to create...?" Welkin stated. "It's a good thing that we managed to manufacture a weapon like this of our own then..."

The light tank, being alerted to the presence of enemies ahead, immediately moved forward a bit, before firing a cannon round blindly, as the squad immediately took cover behind the Edelweiss, who weathered the shot in front.

"It didn't hit us fully though..." Welkin noted. "Good thing the enemy does not know where we are."

"But we know where they are, since they're dumb enough to stand in the light!" Marisa continued, with a devious smirk on her lips. "Largo, if you will..."

"Right, stick this up your pipe and smoke it!" Largo mocked, as he and Marisa fired off their lances, both scoring direct hits that damaged the tank severely, before Welkin immediately used the tank cannon to deal the finishing blow.

"Wavy here, found some snipers. They saw the destruction of the tank, but they don't know where the shots are coming from, although they're getting warmer on it." Wavy stated. "Moving forward to intercept."

There was the sound of rifle fire from Wavy, followed by the sounds of bodies dropping to the ground faintly, before Wavy's footsteps could be heard, and Wavy appeared from atop the cliff, waving his head to address everyone.

"It seems that we're clear to move on for now." Gus noted. "Let's continue forward then."

The group then continued on, as they managed to reach one of the service elevators, which was big enough to carry the Edelweiss and several squad members as well.

"From what our inside man told us, this service elevator should take us directly to the labour camp through a short walk." Welkin stated. "We should consider this operation complete then."

"I'll get it activated." Wavy stated. "Where shall the rest of us wait, Lieutenant?"

"There has been arrangements for a temporary shelter away from Imperial detection." Welkin stated. "We will call upon you, when it is time for our real operation to begin. Until then, stay low and avoid getting caught."

"Roger that." Wavy acknowledged Welkin, as the elevator doors opened, and the Edelweiss entered it.

"Rosie should be waiting on the other side, right?" Gus asked Welkin through the comms.

"She didn't seem to be too happy dealing with two Darcsens on the mission, so we had to replace Rosie with Wavy." Welkin responded back. "Strangely, she didn't seem to be too incensed about this, and agreed to meet us on the other side. I wonder what happened..."

The Edelweiss then reached the top of the elevator, as there was a makeshift shed to store the Edelweiss away from prying eyes, as it entered the shed, before it was then turned off, as Welkin exited the tank, followed by Isara.

"Right then, just need to wait for the rest of the guys to come and..." Welkin stated, before he felt something tapping his shoulder. He turned around and saw that it was Rosie. "Rosie, glad to see you made it."

"Had to crack a few Imperial heads to make it across, since I'm not that good with stealth, but I made it across safe and sound." Rosie remarked. "Turns out this path is rarely patrolled, for some strange reason. I'll tell you this, that inside guy must know this place real well then..."

"Yeah, I hope so..." Welkin stated, before the elevator then reached the top again, as Richard, Gus, Alicia, Largo, Marisa, Reisen and Sanae came out of it. "Right, everyone's here. Let's get to the labour camp double-time."

They then immediately jogged to the rendezvous location, making sure to avoid getting spotted by any Imperials.

* * *

_In the Darcsen quarters of the Darcsen concentration camp..._

The group managed to slip past the guards and the spotlights, before making their ways to the building, as Richard slowly opens the door, before beckoning everyone to get inside quickly, as they do so. Richard then closes the door behind him, making sure that no-one else followed them in, and then turned around.

The entire group looked around, as they caught a glimpse of the miserable conditions that the Darcsen labourers were living in, as their beds were nothing but wooden planks, and their entire room seemed to be completely without any care, as there were large holes in the roof of the building. As for the Darcsen labourers themselves, they seemed to be quite poorly treated, as some of them were malnourished, while others had the wounds and marks of physical abuse dealt to them. All of them seemed to be covered with dirt and soot, and their only clothes were greatly dirtied traditional robes. And the entire room seemed to be filled with a strong stench, emanating from the bodies of the Darcsens present in the room. The Darcsen all looked at the group, especially Richard, who seemed to look like one of their own.

"What the hell is this...?" Largo remarked with a disgusted tone.

Rosie had to resist the urge to gag from the overpowering stench of the room, while Sanae tried her best not to crinkle her nose in response. The others seemed to be relatively unaffected by it, although there was a moment where they were unused to the smell, before they quickly accustomed to it. Richard noticed the look on Rosie's face and spoke to her.

"Recall that you couldn't stand the stench of Isara before...?" Richard told her gently. "Now you know how bad a real Darcsen smells now."

"Tch, this isn't funny at all." Rosie growled back, before she then noticed a small Darcsen girl with grey eyes and long hair, hiding behind the side of one of the beds, as if she was afraid of the strangers before her.

Rosie walked up to her, and bent down to take a look at her, which seemed to spook her, as she immediately ran away from Rosie, as she was revealed to be clutching a dirty ragdoll in her left hand.

"Ah... Hey..." She muttered to the Darcsen child, who didn't stop at all, as she ran across the room, towards a man with a muscular body, which was mostly covered by his unbuttoned faded blue jacket, and wearing dirty grey baggy pants, and brown leather shoes on his feet. He had short hair, that was hidden under the makeshift bandana, which seemed to look like the same patterning as his Darcsen scarf, and his left eye was brown, while the other one was closed.

"Zaka..." The girl muttered with a gentle and fearful voice, before the now-named Zaka merely placed a hand on her head, comforting her gently with a soothing rub on the head. Welkin and the others walked up, as Zaka took a look at Richard for a moment, before then looking up at Welkin.

"What brings you folk here? And how'd you get in?" Zaka asked them, before then flicking his eyes to Richard. "And who's the Darcsen with you?"

"Welkin Gunther here. I was told there was a militia sympathiser here." Welkin responded back.

"Well, you heard right." Zaka nodded, before he then stood up. "Welkin, I'm your guy. I'm Zaka. It's nice to meet you."

Zaka then reached a hand out, as Welkin shook it gently. He then turned to Richard, before gesturing for him to speak, which Richard responded back with a nod.

"My name is Rain Craider. The last name was inherited from my foster family, who adopted me." Richard responded back with a firm tone. "I came here with my superior, Welkin, to see for myself what a Darcsen would truly have to go through... And I believe that I've seen enough to understand that I'm lucky enough to be loved by someone."

Zaka then looked at Richard silently for a moment, as their looks seemed to betray the meaning of mentally understanding each other, before Zaka then turned to the girl, and bent down to speak to her.

"Hey pumpkin. I've got to talk some adult stuff with these folks." Zaka told the girl in a gentle and fatherly tone. "Would you be a good girl and go to bed for me?"

"Okay... Good night, Zaka..." The girl smiled weakly back, before she then walked past the group, as Rosie watched the girl, with a conflicted expression.

"She's sweet. She's your kid sister?" Rosie asked.

"No. Both her parents died a while back. They were victims of torture." Zaka answered back with a grim tone.

"That's..." Sanae gasped with horror, covering her mouth with her hands.

"Geez, that's utterly messed up..." Marisa grunted with a sour expression.

"Torture!? That's just horrible!" Alicia exclaimed.

Zaka then looked at Richard for a moment, expecting some sort of reaction, although when he saw Richard's look of understanding, he felt that Richard might have been a victim of circumstance, like the rest of the Darcsens forced into labour here.

"Listen, we have a lot of work to do. Follow me, and let's get started." Zaka stated, gesturing for the group to follow him further into the quarters.

They then went into another room in the quarters, where there was a large table with the area map draped over it, with a small light hanging overhead of it. Everyone took their positions on the war-table, as Zaka bent down to refer to the table's map.

"As you can see, Fouzen's factories are located on the canyon's edge, split between an upper and lower level." Zaka briefed everyone. "There's an armoured train that services those factories. It moves on rails built into the upper levels, shooting downwards."

"If it's up there, it's completely out of the range of everyone." Welkin responded back. "How do we attack it?"

"Glad you asked. We take it down with this little wonder." Zaka answered back, as he pulled out a small cuboid-shaped device which was covered with casing. "It's a ragnite bomb. I made it myself. I've been sneaking spare parts under the Empire's watch for weeks. I can guarantee its power."

"You think one bomb's going to blow this thing up?" Rosie asked with disbelief.

"He's not suggesting directly using the bomb on the train, Corporal Rosie." Reisen interrupted her. "He said that the train runs along railing. If we can bomb a large portion of it out, then the train will be wrecked from the resulting fall."

"Yeah, I get it." Welkin stated.

"Exactly like your friend said. You can leave the setting of the bomb to me." Zaka said. "I want you all to provide a diversion so I can get in there and attach the package to a strut. Once I wired it and gotten a safe distance away, I'll give you a signal, then you'll detonate it and destroy the bridge."

"Right, sounds good." Welkin nodded back.

"Alright then, any questions about the mission then?" Zaka asked everyone, before turning to Rosie, who was trying her best to avert her gaze from Zaka. "Especially you there."

"No... I got it." Rosie impatiently responded back.

"Is there something else?" Zaka inquired further.

"...Forget it." Rosie muttered, as she turned around to leave the room.

"Oh... I get it now. You're wondering if you can trust me because I'm a Darcsen, yeah?" Zaka stated, as Rosie froze where she stood.

"Yeah, that's clearly apparent..." Marisa scoffed with irritation.

"Quiet down, Mari." Richard scolded Marisa in return.

"If you don't mind me asking, tell me something you like." Zaka asked.

"What?" Rosie replied, as she turned around.

"Something you enjoy. There's got to be something, right?" Zaka said.

"Uh... Singing, I guess. I like to sing, and listen to other folks." Rosie answered back gently.

"A musician, huh? Nice, I like to sing, too. Nothing beats a nice tune and a little stroll." Zaka chuckled lightly. "Music can pick you up or make you cry. Anthems can drive a whole country to war with good spirit. That's the great thing about music. Variety, every song is different, but it's all good."

"...Yeah, I guess so. So what are you getting at?" Rosie asked hastily.

"If you appreciate diversity in music, why hate all Darcsens?" Zaka questioned her. "There's plenty of races in the world, each has its traits, but people are all unique. Just like with music, they've all got their good points. I think so, anyway."

"I mean, don't you respect the fact that I'm willing to help everyone, before myself, Rosie?" Richard asked. "Don't tell me you couldn't possibly be touched slightly by my acts of kindness and compassion to my allies and friends, right?"

"And singing's more fun with a chorus, right? I agree with that, Zaka." Alicia responded as well.

"There are over 30000 kinds of beetles in the world, each with its own characteristics." Welkin said. "It's the same for us, too."

"Ugh, another one of the boss's nature talks." Rosie grumbled, causing Richard to chuckle at Rosie, as Zaka gave off a few of his own as well.

"Beetles? Hahaha... You're an interesting one, Welkin." Zaka told Welkin. "That's a new one. I never heard of a man who compare people to bugs in a good way before. I'd have to agree though, bickering won't do us any good. Let's try to make nice."

"Then the operation begins tomorrow at dawn. I want everyone ready for combat by then." Welkin stated, before he then left the room, as everyone followed after him.

While they left, Richard walked up to Zaka.

"Hey Zaka, mind if we meet outside somewhere else, when the guards' shifts are over? I would like to introduce someone to you." Richard asked.

"By all means, I'll tell you where we can best stay hidden from Imperial sight." Zaka agreed.

* * *

_In a small clearing nearby the concentration camp..._

Richard guided Isara down the path, as he had his Victoire at the ready, in case they encountered any Imperials on the way across.

"Where is Zaka, who you said that you met, as the inside man that Welkin detailed about...?" Isara asked Richard.

"Don't worry about it, Isara. Zaka told us that he'll meet us here. And I have faith that he'll come soon." Richard replied back with a smile. "Must be scary out there alone. But don't worry, you have me by your side, someone who is willing to stay by your side when you're scared or alone."

Isara looked away from Richard, as she blushed slightly at Richard's statement, before Zaka then appeared through a patch of tall grass, appearing before both of them quite suddenly.

"Hey, so this is the other Darcsen in your squad, Isara, right?" Zaka asked Richard, before looking at Isara. "Glad to meet you, my name is Zaka. I'm the inside man for your mission. I am quite surprised that there would be another Darcsen in your squad."

"Hello, Mr. Zaka. My name is Isara Gunther, tank driver of the Edelweiss." Isara politely introduced herself back to Zaka. "It's a pleasure to meet another Darcsen like you."

"Isara Gunther...? You must be his little sister, by the looks of it." Zaka commented, before turning back to Richard. "Oh, and you never introduced yourself to me."

"Rain Craider." Richard responded back. "The last name was there, because I was adopted by a foster family that cared for me like their second child. I am a recently promoted officer of the squad, holding the rank of Ensign."

"Well, you must be quite influential to gain such a rank, no matter how long it took you, which I assume might be a few months or so, considering your age." Zaka stated. "And about your foster family..."

Richard's expression turned into a grimace, as Zaka suddenly felt guilty prying into the young soldier's personal tragedies. "Ah... I see. You must have been like that girl back there... You lost your family to the Empire, which is why you're fighting as a soldier of Gallia." He stated.

"I don't fight purely on vengeance, but to make sure that no more Darcsens, or their friends or kin, will have to die at the hand of the Empire." Richard calmly answered back.

"Hm..." Zaka hummed, before he noticed the sullen look on Isara's face, which appeared so suddenly. "Hey, why the long face, Isara? You worried?"

"I just can't believe it... I'd heard stories of the concentration camps. About the harsh labours forced upon detainees." Isara answered back with a grim tone. "But seeing it happen in person... I... It just seems too cruel to be true."

"And I feel the same here, Zaka..." Richard added as well. "I considered myself lucky that I never grew up under the control of the Empire, nor have I been captured to share the same fate as the people here, doomed to die eventually as a labourer. But I refuse to let that deter me, as I have a purpose now, a purpose to protect the ones that I care about."

"But this is the truth." Zaka replied back. "The world is no friend of the Darcsens. That's the truth of it. And this war's stirred up prejudice in people, so they behave inhumanely."

Both Richard and Isara were silent, hearing those words from Zaka.

"I can sympathise with wanting to look away, Isara, but facing the truth makes a person grow." Zaka continued. "And hey, we're still young! Let's enjoy life! It's up to us to change other folks' mind."

"I..." Isara stuttered, before she then smiled back. "Yes... you're right. Thank you, Mr Zaka. As long as we don't stop reaching out, the day will come when others will accept us."

Isara then suddenly felt Richard place his hand on top of her head, as she saw the expression of pride in her on his face.

"I'm glad that you realised that. It may be hard to keep believing that, even with how cruel the world is, but if you keep on holding on that single hope..." Richard praised Isara. "One day, it'll truly come true, and we'll be able to regain the lives we have lost to both the discrimination and the war."

Isara smiled back, as Zaka nodded back to Richard.

"Right-o." Zaka stated, before his right eye opened, showing that it was undamaged underneath. "...But for now, it's late. The mission starts at dawn. Make sure you get some rest."

"Wait, that eye wasn't blinded...?" Richard asked back with surprise on seeing Zaka's other eye in perfect condition. "Then why do you have it closed most of the time then?"

"Just some sort of habit for me." Zaka shrugged, as his right eye closed again. "I think of it that the swelling of previous beatings has caused my eye to stay closed for most of the time, but I can still see clearly through it as my other eye. So don't worry about me."

"You must be extremely resilient, if their beatings only did this much to you..." Richard spoke with respect in his voice, before he then turned himself and Isara around to leave. "Well, we'll make preparations for the mission tomorrow. Just don't put yourself in danger. I don't want another one of my kin to lose their lives so needlessly in the war..."

"Heh, I'll try. Same goes to you too, Rain." Zaka remarked, before he then turned to leave himself.

Both parties immediately left the clearing, as they prepared for the mission to come...

Mission Team: Edelweiss, Largo, Rosie, Rain, Sally, Alicia, Edy, Wavy, Oscar, Homer

Sheltering Members: Mari, Remy, Gus, Vyse

* * *

_The next day, at time of operation start, in the Fouzen battlegrounds..._

The Gallian squad immediately took position in their current base, as they formed up in preparation for the operation. Strangely, for Richard and Sanae, Marisa, Reisen and Gus were absent from the deployment team. And there was a new face among the squad, as it was Homer, who was a young male Engineer, with a adorable looking face, blue eyes and short blonde wavy hair that spread out in all directions from his head.

"Hey, Welkin, where's the rest of my friends?" Richard asked Welkin, who was surveying the area, using binoculars. "Don't you usually sortie them with me, like you almost always do?"

"I would, but I require them for other tasks." Welkin responded back. "They're needed somewhere else, where their talents would be put to better use. I mean, you and Sally could make up for them, with several other members of Squad 7 as part of the team. After all, we need to have them accumulate battle experience."

"A reasonable explanation there, Welkin." Richard hummed contently. "But where exactly is this 'somewhere'?"

"They're waiting in the Darcsen quarters." Welkin stated, as Richard was left shocked, as he was about to ask something, before Welkin continued. "Considering the situation at hand, I feel like that the Darcsens won't likely be safe, even after we manage to weaken the Imperial foothold here. So I had your friends and Vyse act as a small detachment to oversee the Darcsens. They should be well-hidden from any Imperial soldiers, as long as they follow the method I've planned out for them."

'_Welkin, you brilliant bastard._' Richard mentally cheered. '_With this, the Imperials won't be able to take as many lives by razing the Darcsen quarters, when they'll spring a ambush courtesy of Gus, Marisa, Sanae and Vyse. And I'm sure that Zaka might be in on the plan. He might be able to smuggle some ammo crates for them to use, during their defence._'

Richard merely nodded, before Welkin finished scoping out the area, as he turned to the squad behind the Edelweiss.

"Listen up, squad! Our job is to make sure that bomb gets set! Move out!" Welkin commanded, before he then hopped into the Edelweiss, closing the top hatch, as it immediately ignited itself into activation.

As soon as Welkin turned on the squad comms, Zaka already tuned in to speak with the squad.

"Hey, you think you could do me a favour? Take the northwest bridge down first." Zaka requested Welkin through the comms. "Doing that will block enemy reinforcements and give me a chance to wire up the rail bridge with the resulting diversion."

"Alright, got it. I'll do that if you get the bomb ready to go during that time." Welkin responded back.

"Leave it to me. I've been practising for today for a good long while now." Zaka remarked, before he cut the communications.

"All right, squad. Cut through the enemy and head for the northwest bridge!" Welkin ordered everyone.

Wavy immediately noticed a plume of black smoke rising from the armoured train faraway, as he discerned that the smoke was coming from the large mortar cannon on one of its carriages.

"Commander, we have a mortar shell incoming on our position." Wavy reported to Welkin.

"That's to be expected. The mortar cannon will continuously fire wherever we go, so we'll have to keep moving to ensure it will never hit us." Welkin stated.

The squad immediately advanced, as they crossed the first bridge in their path, as the Edelweiss stopped halfway. Homer then walked through the rest of the bridge, until he noticed some anti-tank mines laid on the bridge.

"My my, it seems like the Imperials have planted quite the surprise for the Lieutenant..." Homer remarked with a slightly gentle tone, before he then fantasised about failing to disarm the mine, and cause it blow up in front of him. "Ah... But this kind of suffering should only be for me, as I could only imagine what pleasures await me... Mmm..."

Homer was drooling slightly in arousal, as he quickly defused the anti-tank mines, only to come across a elite Imperial stormtrooper, who noticed him, and fired at him, as several shots hit his body, causing him to groan in pleasure and pain.

"Aaah, wound me more..." Homer grunted.

Richard immediately rushed up, and used the Victoire's long range to take out the trooper elite, before they could get another chance to attack someone again. Homer, who seemed to have just snapped out of his pleasure, merely groaned in disappointment, before he then healed his wounds with a moderate dose of ragna-aid, who bathed him with azure healing light, cleansing the wounds and reducing their severity.

Oscar immediately noticed a Lancer hiding in the middle of a rail-track, as he immediately levelled his sniper-rifle, and aimed carefully.

"Alright, just like how Remy does it..." Oscar remarked, as he took a deep breath, and did a steady shot that caught the enemy Lancer on the head, getting rid of them.

Everyone else advanced, as they looked around for enemies, only to see that the ones they could see, were too far away to be affected, but they can't target them either, with the exception of the armoured train, which was firing its mortar shell where they were just standing, obliterating most of the sandbag cover of the makeshift base. And from the distance, they could see a medium-sized Imperial Tank moving up to confront them, with a small handful of troops following after it. And then there was the light tank on the bridge in front, which was moving across, before then firing a shot at Wavy, who barely managed to evade the incoming tank shell up close.

"I've got it!" Largo exclaimed, as he loaded up his lance, and fired it at the nearby Imperial light tank, aiming for the radiator, and managing to hit it directly, causing the enemy tank to explode. The Edelweiss then made a long-range shot for the medium tank, as it managed to land a frontal hit that damaged it slightly.

Richard then noticed the trolley car was on their side, as he immediately boarded it, and got up on top of one of the smaller cliffs, as he slowly made his way forward, coming into sight of a industrial lift.

"Found an industrial lift. If I remember correctly, the switch for it should be nearby right? If I could activate it, I could sneak up on the medium tank from behind... Surely Victorie is capable of destroying a tank if all hits line up with the exposed radiator plates... right?" He reported to Welkin.

"Sounds like a good idea, Rain. We'll keep the Imperials distracted, while you get the lift up and running." Welkin answered back.

Edy immediately went down, as she came into sight of the Imperial soldiers accompanying the tank, from above, as she immediately fired a barrage of shots that managed to take one of them down, and severely wound another.

"That's what you get!" Edy taunted, as she smirked and posed.

The medium tank immediately fired its machine-gun turret at Edy, as she was startled by the gunfire, as she swiftly dived behind a wall for cover, as the shots pinged off the cliff wall harmlessly.

Richard managed to finish activating the industrial lift, as he immediately took a ride in it, appearing behind the medium tank. Noticing that the enemy tank's radiator is fully exposed to him, he immediately aimed his Victoire carefully towards the radiator.

"I made it. Ambushing enemy tank now." Richard stated, before he unloaded his entire clip into the enemy tank's radiator, as the barrage of shots managed to deal enough damage to destroy the tank in a single barrage of shots.

He then noticed that the targeted bridge was behind him, as he immediately made his way in front of it, as it was a wooden bridge placed to allow crossing between the chasm separating the north-western path and the area. As per his objective, he pulled out a grenade and bombed out the makeshift bridge, as the explosion completely destroy it, leaving no path for any reinforcements to cross.

"The northwest bridge is down, Welkin!" Richard relayed to Welkin.

"Right, Zaka, it's your turn to get that bomb set!" Welkin told Zaka through the comms.

"I'm on it. Won't take a second." Zaka responded back, before there was the sound of rustling and metal clanging. "Okay, it's set to blow! Now it just needs a gunshot to detonate. When it goes off, the whole bridge goes too."

"All right, got it." Welkin acknowledged Zaka.

"I wanted to go with a time bomb, to save you guys the trouble. But there's no guarantee that the armoured train would be on the bridge, when the bomb blows up." Zaka added.

"I see. That way, we can wait until the target is where we want it, before detonating it." Welkin muttered to himself.

"Cross the central bridge, and move up the east bank, and there will be a good place to shoot it from." Zaka said. "It's all yours now, Welkin! Good luck getting the fireworks up on time!"

The squad comms then fell silent again, before Welkin spoke to command the squad. "You heard Zaka. We need to push across the bridge, and get to the east bank. We'll need to have someone accurate enough to be able to shoot out the bomb for us." He ordered everyone. "Oscar, will you be able to do it?"

"Of course. I should be able to get a non-moving target properly, even if its smaller than expected." Oscar stated.

"Everyone, escort Oscar, until he reaches the shooting position." Welkin told every squad-member on the field right now.

Sanae immediately looked up the armoured train, as the gatling turrets mounted on top of it, menacingly aimed towards their position, as well as the cannon on one of the carriages.

"Uh, Welkin, hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the armoured train seems to be in good range to shoot at us with everything it has, as we make our way across. I suggest we try and keep behind cover most of the time, so that we won't get flattened by whatever they throw at us." Sanae told Welkin.

"It seems like that the armoured train is actually aiming for us, for more than just the mortar cannon now..." Welkin cursed under his breath. "All units, take heed and make sure you stay within cover, if the train actually decides to attack us."

Everyone acknowledges the command, as Richard makes his way to rejoin with the squad, as they slowly advance through the bridge, with several of the squad members hiding behind the Edelweiss, from the armoured train on the northern side of the map. As they advanced, several of the Imperial soldiers fired upon the Gallian militia members, although it didn't do as much damage to them, due to their optimised suit armour, and they took down the enemy units with retaliatory fire.

However, at almost the same time, the armoured train initiated its attack, as the cannon fired at the Edelweiss with a high-powered shot that rocked the Edelweiss slightly, before the gatling guns swept across the entire length of the bridge, as people huddled behind the cover of the Edelweiss, or tried to avoid the enemy fire. Unfortunately, one person wasn't lucky or quick enough, as Wavy did not manage to evade in time, as the gatling turrets peppered him harshly, as the wounds resulting from the attack incapacitate him.

"Forgive... me..." Wavy coughed, before he fell to the ground, barely holding onto his life, with several of the more severe wounds were already bleeding.

"Soldier down!" Welkin called out. "We need to have him treated ASAP!"

"I'll get him!" Sanae cried, as she immediately ran through the gun-fire, taking some damage herself. Despite the pain, she pressed on, immediately hefting Wavy over her shoulder, before she sprinted for cover, as she laid Wavy down on the ground. Wavy was groaning in agony, as he tried to keep himself conscious.

"There there, I'll keep you stable until we can pull you out for the medic to treat you properly." Sanae stated, before she pulled out her ragna-aid, before using it to seal and treat some of the bleeding wounds, and reduce the pain and bleeding, calming Wavy down slightly. "Just stay behind cover, until we get you clear. Welkin, call in the medic! We'll make sure that she makes it to Wavy in time!"

"Right, I'll contact her as quickly as possible!" Welkin stated.

Homer noticed the damage on the Edelweiss, as he repaired the tank without a single word, before he then kept himself in cover behind it. Rosie, immediately noticed another Imperial soldier, who was lying in wait further forward, as she immediately charged forward, and brought down the soldier before they could have a chance to inflict harm on someone else. She also noticed the lift controls nearby, as she uses them to enable the lift for use for the rest of the squad.

Richard managed to catch up to the squad quickly enough, as he immediately moved to the front of the squad, as they immediately boarded the lift, and moved up to the upper level of the canyons, where they were met by several lancers, and another medium tank.

As soon as Richard caught sight of the enemies, he immediately fired his Victoire at the enemy Lancers, taking one of them down. Edy and Rosie worked together to take down another one of the lancers, and Alicia managed to score a head-shot on the last Lancer, leaving only the medium tank.

The medium tank immediately took a shot at the Edelweiss, scoring a direct hit on the front of the tank, before it retaliated with a shot of its own, followed by a shot from Largo, which took out the tank, before it could try for another attack on either the Edelweiss, or the other squad members.

Homer immediately moved up, managing to find a duo of Imperial soldiers, that was guarding the last lift required to reach the shooting point, as he immediately uses a grenade to destroy their cover, before then firing at one of them to finish them off. The other managed to retaliate back, wounding him slightly to him, making him feel once more in bliss, as the pain coursing through him returns the pleasurable feeling back to him, as he shivered with bliss.

"Jesus... That's just creepy." Sanae remarked, as she moved up and took down the other soldier, before he could hurt Homer more. Despite losing the enemy, who gave him the pain he wanted, Homer did not react at all, as the pain lingered, keeping him content and happy for the moment.

Richard immediately moved forward, as the train's gatling turrets aimed for him, as he immediately activated the lift controls, allowing it to be used.

"Alright, now's your chance, Oscar! Run quickly, and get ready to shoot!" Richard remarked, before seeing that the armoured train was right in the middle of the bridge "Before it moves again, trigger the bomb, so that we can put an end to this metallic monster immediately!"

"R-Right!" Oscar stated, as he summoned up his courage and bravery, as well as all the stamina he could muster, as he sprinted right from cover, rushing head-on into the gunfire, soldiering the pain, before he managed to enter the lift, as the doors closed to provide him with cover, as he slumped down, exhausted and hurt from his charge to the lift.

"Hah... Hah..." He panted, before he then trudged out of the lift, making his way slowly to the shooting position, as the lift has left him out of the sight of the train, which was too close and above him to be able to target him at all.

After taking his position, he immediately raised his sniper rifle, before searching for the bomb. He searched each and every column support he could see under the bridge, before he then found the small bomb tucked away just above the bottom on one of the middle supports.

Before he could pull the trigger, he heard the crack of a sniper rifle, as it caused him to instinctively fall prone on the ground, as the sniper shot whizzed over where his head would have been. After turning towards the source of the shot, he saw a sniper standing on a platform faraway to the east. Oscar, immediately seeing the enemy, fired his sniper rifle quickly, taking out the hidden sniper, before they could react back. After taking out the only threat to him, he sniped the bomb carefully, igniting it with a single shot, that resulted in the explosion that tore the support apart.

As soon the support column was torn to pieces, the bridge that the train was on, began to tremble, under the massive weight of the tank, before the bridge splintered apart, as the train and its carriages plunged into the water. Oscar, after wiping the sweat off his brow, and sighing in relief, immediately activated the squad comms.

"Mission complete, lieutenant." Oscar coolly responded back.

"Yes... We dropped the armoured train!" Welkin cried out with joy.

"Squad 7, there's an emergency!" Varrot suddenly shouted through the squad comms. "Imperial soldiers are fleeing the city, after the destruction of their armoured train! They're attacking the Darcsen concentration camp as we speak! The quarters are under attack, and your squadmates are fighting them off by themselves! Get over there, and support them, now!"

"So I was right to station a few Squad 7 members there..." Welkin remarked. "It was a good thing that I managed to prepare them for any incoming attacks... We need to hurry there!"

"The Darcsen concentration camp... under attack. The quarters... under assault!? Then that means..." Richard stated, before his expression paled and his voice turned much more fearful. "Oh no... God no... No no no..."

Richard immediately turned around, as he immediately sprinted back the way he came, towards the western path.

"Rain, wait!" Sanae cried out.

"I can't wait! My brethren are in mortal danger as we speak! Not only that... Our friends are going to die, if we don't support them in time!" Richard shouted back.

"Just... Just let me restock your ammo, alright?" Sanae tried to say, as Richard stopped before Sanae, as she pulled out several box magazines for the Victoire. "You won't be of much help, if you run out of ammo while fighting them off, right?"

"...Right... Sorry, I let my haste get the better of me there, Sally. Thank you." Richard stated, before speaking with Welkin. "Welkin, I'll be making my way there first. If I can get there, I should be able to decimate the Imperial advance force's foot-soldiers and tanks, using the Victoire. At the very least, I can buy you time for the rest of you to make it here!"

"Rain... Wait...!" Welkin was about to say, before Richard rushed into one of the lifts, as he disappeared in it. "You can't just go alone...! You aren't able to just turn the tide of the battle alone!"

"I'm sorry, but I don't have a choice here. Remember what I had to do in Barious Desert, Welkin." Richard responded back, as he made his way to the next lift. "I'll be able to get there quickly, if I keep on running my way there. I've got better stamina than the rest of the stormtroopers, so I should be able to get to the battle a few minutes earlier."

"...I can't stop you anyway, Rain. Just make sure you and the others make it until we arrive to support." Welkin sighed.

"I promise." Richard simply stated, before he closed off the comms, and made his way to the western path.

'_Hang in there, guys... I'll be there as soon as I can...!_' Richard thought, before rushing down the path to the concentration camp.

* * *

_In the Darcsen concentration camp..._

The entire camp was a battlefield, as light tanks and Imperial footsoldiers rolled into the camp, as they tried to breach the defence coordinated by the four Squad 7 members, as they surrounded the Darcsen quarters, where the Darcsens used to shelter themselves from the Imperials who were trying to have them executed, to spite the Gallian forces that were about to capture the city for themselves.

"We can't hold this much longer..." Vyse growled, as he fired his sub-machine gun to take down several more enemies in a single clip, before slamming a new one in, as quickly as he could, to continue his attack. "Even with all the ammo here, we won't be able to hold them long enough for them to give up. They're hell-bent on ending the lives of the Darcsens here!"

"We already lost a few of them, trying to get them in one place to be sheltered." Gus stated. "We have to do what we can to prevent more from suffering the same fate... We may not be able to hold them that long, but the longer we can stall the enemy and push back their advance, the more chance that the rest of the squad will return in time to help us drive back the enemy!"

"Well, I'm not getting tired of taking out the enemy tanks. Even if I don't have the chance to target their weak little radiators, I can still bring them down if I can aim at particular spots." Marisa remarked, as she fired her lance to take out one of the light tanks. 'Thing is, these lances aren't good for taking out the foot-soldiers. Otherwise, I'd be bombing them all hard with it!"

"Gus has a point, Vyse. We have no choice but to endure the assault. If we slip up, our lives will be forfeit with the Darcsens we're guarding." Reisen told Vyse, as she immediately fired her sniper rifle rapidly, scoring headshots with each shot, before she reloaded her rifle. "Either way, Rain will definitely drop everything to rush to our aid."

"But how long will that take!?" Vyse asked with frustration. "We don't exactly have the luxury of waiting around, since we're getting shot at from all sides!"

Vyse noticed that a group of soldiers were coordinating their fire towards him, as he immediately slid down into cover to avoid it. "Case in point!" He shouted, before he fired back at them, downing two of them, and suppressing the others.

Gus immediately took a grenade from one of the ammo crates in their position, as he then lit it up, and threw it at one of the advancing tanks, shredding its treads, allowing Marisa to easily take care of it, by rushing out of cover, to circle around to fire at the exposed radiator, downing the tank with a single shot, before weaving out of enemy fire to get back into cover.

Suddenly, a squad of Imperial soldiers snuck around from behind the quarters, as they ambushed the group from behind.

"They snuck around us...!? Damn it!" Vyse exclaimed, before he then turned around to fire at them. "We won't let you get the better of us that easily-"

Before Vyse could shoot, the soldiers were shot down from behind themselves, as they fell to reveal that Richard was the shooter, as he rushed to them.

"I made it! Status report, everyone!" Richard exclaimed, as he dived into the position, where the other squadmates were.

"I'm fine, Rain." Gus stated. "I should have know you would have made your way here as quick as you could."

"We haven't suffered any serious injuries." Reisen stated. "There had been no need of use from Vyse's Ragna-aid."

"Talking about cutting it close..." Vyse hissed. "Glad to get some help when we really need it, Rain."

"I'm still dealing with their tanks. It's the footsoldiers that are the problem."

"Leave the foot-soldiers to me. Gus, Vyse, you two cover me while I help to thin out their advance forces!" Richard responded, as he rose out of cover, levelling the Victoire on top of the sandbag pile, twisting and tilting it like a mounted machine-gun, as he fired mercilessly on the advance forces, leaving not a single bullet left in the magazine.

His ruthless gunfire managed to tear down the vanguard of the advance force quite quickly, before he was forced to reload, as Gus and Vyse shot down anyone who tried to get closer to the quarters. After reloading, he started to fire another barrage to tear more of the Imperial advance force to pieces.

"We're already inflicting quite a lot of causalities to them." Marisa commented, as she used the lance to fire a rocket that blasted the cannon of one of the light tank into an unusable state, as they tried to tear down the quarters with cannon fire. She then reloaded another shot, and used it to destroy the light tank. "Surely, they have to give up at some point, right?"

"Let's hope they do." Gus answered back, as he used his scout rifle to take out several more soldiers.

Eventually, the combined efforts of the group managed to repel the advance force for a long time, inflicting severe casualities for the Imperial forces. After most of their ammo has been exhausted, the Imperial forces immediately started to retreat, as everyone was fatigued for pulling off such a long defence mission.

"Hah... Hah..." Richard panted, after having worked himself nearly to death, trying to deal with two missions at once, and getting between them as fast as he could. "They... They're retreating..."

"Thank god..." Gus huffed. "I swear, I would have dropped dead if I were to have to keep on fighting them.

"We were all down to the very bottom of our ammo reserves here. I only hope that this defence would hurt the Imperial forces' chance of victory in the future." Reisen sighed.

"I guess they'll have to promote me, for being a part of the team who managed to fight so much parts of a Imperial advance force alone..." Marisa chuckled weakly. "I mean, no-one would disrespect such an accomplishment, right Vyse?"

"Can't talk... So... tired..." Vyse croaked, as he was on the ground, completely exhausted.

Soon, the doors to the quarters opened, as they heard that the battle outside had finally come to an end, as they looked around with awe and surprise.

"We're... alive and well...?" One of the Darcsens, a male, said with surprise.

"We're alive...! The Gallian squad managed to repel them all off for us!" Another one stated.

The Darcsens then began to talk amongst each other, as they praised the group for saving them all, and protecting everyone. The girl in the quarters, immediately rushed out, as she rushed towards Richard, who caught her in his arms. She clung to Richard with a fearful expression, as Richard placed a hand on her head gently, as he patted her softly to comfort her.

"There there... There there... Shh... Shh..." Richard whispered to the girl in a soothing voice. "It's alright... It's over... You don't have to worry about the nasty Imperials anymore... They're all gone now... You're safe with your kin... You're safe with me..."

The rest of Squad 7 entered the camp at the time, as they were prepared for battle, only to see that it was already over, as the squad mates participating in the defence were resting themselves, and Richard was still comforting the Darcsen girl. Zaka also came in, as he heard about the news of the concentration camp being attacked, before he was shocked at how the camp was standing relatively intact, especially the quarters that the others have been guarding.

"Well, I'll be... You guys actually managed to protect the others by yourselves..." Zaka muttered with awe under his breath.

The Darcsen girl then tugged Richard by the waist, causing him to stop patting, looking down at her.

"Could you find my doll? I think I lost it somewhere, when we were told to hide..." The girl asked Richard gently.

"I'll find it for you." Richard stated, before he then walked away, before looking around, and finding the doll on the ground, as it was slightly dirty, but otherwise still fine. He picked it up, and handed it back to the girl. "There you go, still as good as ever. Aren't you glad? We all got through this together..."

The girl then collected the doll, before looking up to Richard and smiling, before joining the rest of the liberated Darcsens, as Welkin got out of the Edelweiss, and Richard walked up to address him.

"Lieutenant, I can report that the mission went as planned. Although there was some causalities..." Richard stated, before he saluted. "I can ensure you that the bulk of the Darcsens are still well and truly alive."

"I'm happy to hear that. With this, the Darcsens will be able to go to Gallia, where they will be able to finally live the lives they deserve." Welkin stated.

"I guess so. It's what they deserve after all." Richard stated.

Rosie looked around at the carnage, as she saw the dead bodies of several of the Darcsens littering the camp, as she began to feel rage at how the poor Darcsens were mercilessly killed by the Imperials, just so that they could ensure that Gallia will not get them at all, as she clenched her fists and grit her teeth in anger, as she swore vengeance on whoever did all of this.

But then she looked at Richard, caring for the girl, as the expression of kinship and kindness caused her to let go of her rage, as she thought about how Richard thought for others before himself, before she finally felt guilt for her unneeded discrimination towards Isara and Richard, as both of them were genuinely nice, as Zaka's words rang in her head.

Zaka then looked down at the corpses as well, before he then took off his bandana, and held it in front of him, with his head bowed down in prayer towards his fallen kin. Richard noticed this, as he walked over to Zaka with a solemn expression.

"Zaka... I'm sorry. Even if we were prepared for this, we can't save every Darcsen with certainty..." Richard told him with a melancholic tone. "I promise that we will make it so that the only Darcsens we have failed to protect will be only them... No more... They didn't deserve to die, just for being the descendants of a race abhorred long ago..."

"It doesn't matter, Rain." Zaka responded back, before he tied his bandana back on his head. "I never expected that the Imperials would have actually tried to burn down the concentration camp, and every Darcsen labourer in it... It's already a good thing that most of the camp's residents were saved from the genocide that resulted, but seeing my people dead... It makes me unable to feel joyful about the miracle that occurred."

"Zaka..." Richard muttered.

"What would vengeance accomplish...?" Zaka asked Richard. "Fighting fire with fire, an eye for an eye... Hasn't enough people died for this war...?"

"Almost everyone believes that, Zaka, except the most fanatical and vengeance-crazed..." Richard responded back. "But almost no-one would dare to admit to it to the public, especially to the enemy themselves."

"That's a sad thing to hear." Zaka sighed. "Even if our tradition lead us to death at the hands of others, we don't respond with violence. When we die, we die for peace. That is how the Darcsen live their lives."

Richard didn't reply at that, as Zaka turned to Richard, looking directly at him.

"Why did you become a soldier, Rain?" Zaka stated. "Is it because of vengeance, for the sorrow the Empire had brought you, the sorrow that I can see in your eyes, because of never knowing your real family, and losing your foster family, and your entire town. Is that so...?"

"It's not like that, Zaka..." Richard spoke with a quiet voice, turning away. "I knew that Darcsens were hated for their savagery and brutality, so I tried to be kind and caring, to contradict the rumour and discrimination. No matter how many times I got beaten, I never returned a punch back, because I could never bring myself to hate anyone truly, because they're just misguided by prejudice. Even when the village was burned down, and only me and my friends escaped alive, I only hated the Empire itself, who taken the ones I cherished away from me, but not the people inside of it, because like you have told Rosie before, not everyone follows the same principles. Some just hate us, because they truly believe that we're monsters who have been weakened for penance for our past sins... Some just hate us, because they feel like the reason is personal. Others may just hate Darcsens, because they're nothing but the inferior minority... It doesn't truly matter to me."

He then placed a hand on Zaka's shoulder, before turning his eyes to look into Zaka's own eyes. "Zaka, the reason why I joined this war, is because I wanted to protect." Richard stated. "I found my reason to fight on, because behind me are the people that I seek to protect. I care for every person that I have met equally. I fight and kill, because I want to bring an end to this war, and bring about peace, by finishing off the Empire's military. Perhaps I sound cruel, Zaka, but people have to die for an war to end, so that the commanding officers of each side, know that the price of the war is too great on the lives of others, and that prolonging the war has no point but to propagate more and more suffering and death. If I don't muster the will to fight, then I will never have the power to protect everyone. I am fighting for peace, and I would lay my life, if it was the sole sacrifice, to end this long and painful war at last. At least, my sacrifice would have meaning, and affect the very world itself, to make them understand that human lives are the most precious thing in the world, because of how complex they are... They offer so many things, even though there are some drawbacks, such as ambition and desire. But no matter what, I want to end this war, by defeating the enemy as quickly and bloodlessly as possible. And the only way to do that, is to push back the Empire and force them to surrender their invasion... I fight because of the ones who died here, so that their deaths were not in vain."

Zaka was silent, as he then turned away and walked to join the Darcsen detainees, which Welkin and the others were instructing to prepare for their return to Randgriz. Richard watched him leave, before he then turned away, and got on top of the Edelweiss, seating himself inside the gunner's porch, and looking up to see that Isara was looking from the top of the hatch.

"Hey Isara..." Richard said to her. "You ready to go? It's going to be a long trip from Fouzen to Randgriz. Hopefully, the other squads of the regiment should distract the Imperials long enough for all of us to make a safe return to Randgriz."

"Yeah... I'm just waiting for Welks." Isara stated, before she grimaced a little at how the concentration camp was saved, despite some casualities. "Rain... Will there be any chance that this war will finally come to an peaceful end?"

"...I wish I could answer you back, Isara... Even I'm not certain for how things might go..." Richard stated back with a grim tone.

The rest of Squad 7 immediately prepared for departure, as they positioned themselves around the collective body of the Darcsen detainees, with some of them volunteering to protect the others, using standard scout rifles that they looted from the fallen Imperial soldiers in the camp, before they immediately set off.

* * *

_A few days later, back in Randgriz, at the military mess hall..._

Welkin, Alicia, Largo, Rosie, Richard, Sanae, Isara were sitting on one of the tables, as they were discussing about current events, while Richard was wolfing down his food, as he just came back from one of his training sessions with Sergeant Calvaro, leaving him both famished and exhausted at the same time.

"So I was walking across base just now and the guys from Squad 2 stopped me." Largo said to everyone. "They said everybody felt like we got Fouzen back because of us 7's!"

"Well, yeah, we took down that train, after all. I want a medal for it!" Rosie responded back with a prideful tone.

"You do know that we should actually be getting a medal for actually managing to save the Darcsen detainees, and protecting them right? Wouldn't that be a wartime effort worth praising, right?" Sanae asked Rosie back.

"I... uh... That's fair enough."

"I wonder how Zaka and all the other Darcsens are doing." Alicia pondered.

"I hear that most of the detainees have either stayed on in Fouzen, or evacuated to Randgriz." Welkin answered Alicia. "Don't worry though, the Darcsens back at Fouzen are finally free to live as proper citizens of the country once again."

"Oh. Well, I hope they're all doing well now." Alicia muttered.

"Don't worry, I doubt the Darcsens would be thrown into danger for a while." Richard stated, after finishing his food, before placing a hand on his chin. "Come to think of it, Zaka said that he was staying in Gallia. I wonder what he could be doing at this very moment."

Just as he finished saying that, Zaka immediately walked into the mess hall, dressed in the Gallian military uniform, before waving at them, catching the attention of everyone on the table. "Yo." He stated.

"M-Mr Zaka?" Isara asked with surprise.

"Huh? Wait, that uniform..." Largo remarked.

"Oh, this?" Zaka asked, pointing at the uniform on him with a grin, before walking over to the table. "As of today, I'm a Gallian militia man, same as you all. They put me in your squad, so we'll be seeing a lot of each other."

"Wait just a... Can you even fight?" Rosie asked with shock, before he then saw Richard glare at her, as she stopped herself before she could say anything more.

"Zaka... You did this because of what I said back then, right?" Richard asked Zaka.

"Well, your words did have me considering. If I fighting in the war to protect, then there's nothing holding me back from helping you guys." Zaka replied back. "Don't sweat the details though. I've got some good experience as a tank commander as well, with a tank of my own, my dear Shamrock. It's a bit on the smallish side, but an extra tank is already a great help in ground support. So leave some of that to me. And I thought that your boss, Welkin, was pretty righteous. I figured I'd tag along and see that for myself."

"What, me?" Welkin asked, pointing at himself with confusion.

"We didn't get to talk too much, but you've got a fresh perspective, you know?" Zaka stated.

"Hmm... I guess so? I don't think I'm much different than other folks, though." Welkin humbly stated.

"Welkin... You're so clueless..." Alicia moaned with a unamused expression.

"Anyway, I'm excited to join the team! Haah hah hah!" Zaka laughed heartily.

Richard then got up, as he smiled widely back at Zaka, and put out a hand. "Then I'm glad to welcome you to Squad 7, Zaka." He answered back. "Let's stick together and keep each other alive until the war ends, alright?"

Zaka immediately took the hand, shaking it strongly, as Richard nodded back at him.

"Now come, have a taste of Gallian cuisine, it's pretty nice!" Richard offered, as he moved aside to make room for Zaka.

Zaka then sat down, as Richard got up to get him some food for him, while the others chatted amongst each other.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Turning Point, Marberry Shore

Response to reviews:

-Well, I'll consider it, but it's unlikely I'll do that, since there's nothing much about it that relates to the current plot so far.

-That, my friend, will be a side-story chapter, that will be a collection story in the near future.

-Well, Report 6 is done here, and I hope you like what I have done with it. Geld is going to blow his head off, when he realised that he got spared by the likes of a Darcsen.

-Yeah, and Maximilian will most definitely get called out by Richard for it.

A/N Note: Once again, another fan-made weapon makes its debut. The Tornerre, is a sniper rifle that is capable of semi-automatic fire. And unlike the VC2-onwards Brondel series, the Tornerre is capable of over-watch. Now let it sink in the fact that overwatch doesn't waste ammo for limited ammo snipers in actual gameplay, and then think about how far a sniper can see and shoot, and you'll see why this weapon is on the same tier of overpoweredness as the Victorie and Ruhm.

* * *

_In the briefing room..._

"Everybody gather around, I've got our orders." Welkin announced to everyone in the room, comprising of Rosie, Largo, Richard, Isara, Zaka and Alicia. "The target is on Gallia's northern coast."

He then pulled out a map, displaying the area, before using a wooden pointer to circle around the shore. "The enemy's entrenched along the shore flanking the industrial region up north." He continued on his briefing. "Squad 7 been given one of the camp at Marberry Shore to suppress."

"Hmm, looking at the map, seems there's nothing there but big cliffs and open sand." Largo stated with a grim tone.

"As you approach the cliffs, the beach slopes up steeply. Their camp is at the top of them." Welkin responded back with his frown deepening. "The path leading up there is narrow, meaning infantry will have to take the lead here. That said, they've lined the cliffside with gunnery to combat incoming foot soldiers."

"So, it's a near impossible task then...? Without the cover of either Shamrock or Edelweiss, the anti-infantry positions would tear us apart should we advance, no matter what tactics we try..." Richard sighed.

"And you're still telling us to dodge bullets running across an open beach with nothing for cover?" Rosie growled. "Boss, I may be catty, but I ain't got nine lives here."

"Stop your complaining. We're soldiers, Rosie." Largo argued. "Ain't no such thing as a safe mission. Dangerous or not, it's our job to get the job done as best as we can."

"You don't got to... I know that, alright?" Rosie grunted back.

"You're right. If we just charge in, you'll be facing a hailstorm of bullets." Welkin agreed.

"Welkin, any more brilliant ideas for another of your crazy plans?" Alicia asked Welkin hopefully.

"Hmm... Sorry, but I don't have any silver bullets for this one." Welkin sighed deeply. "What we need is some way to blind the enemy while we advance."

"A way... to blind them..." Isara repeated, placing a hand on her chin in thought of the idea.

"Ugh. This is just great." Rosie groaned.

"Come on, let's stay positive about this! Tomorrow's the Feast of All Spirits!" Alicia tried to cheer Rosie up.

"Combat on the Feast, huh? We sure got some kinda luck, don't we?" Largo grumbled.

"Well, getting down about it won't help anything. Let's just do what we can, and find out a way to work on the matter." Zaka replied back.

"If we could... Hmm, they might not need nine lives for this mission..." Isara muttered to herself.

"Everyone, dismissed." Welkin concluded the briefing, as everyone made their way out of the briefing room in a orderly fashion.

While Richard left the room, he met Captain Varrot on the way, as he immediately saluted her. "Ma'am!" Richard barked out.

"At ease, Ensign Rain." Varrot stated. "So, you're considering the mission that you have been assigned with?"

"Sort of, we have quite the problem, since the mission is a suicide run in the current conditions. We just need to find a way to make the situation go into our advantage at the least." Richard nodded back.

"I see, I wish you luck on that then." Varrot nodded as well. "Oh, and Ensign Rain...?"

"Yes, Captain?" Richard asked back.

"Thank you... Thank you for allowing me to move on." Varrot smiled back at him.

"No... It's your own doing, that you were able to let go of your hatred." Richard responded back. "You were the one who deserved praise for being able to understand that sometimes, murder is the worst possible resolution to a problem."

Richard then brushed past Varrot, as he recalled the mission, where he and Varrot had a close talk to each other about a certain matter...

* * *

_A few days ago, in the briefing room..._

_"Thank you for coming, soldiers." Varrot addressed everyone, consisting of the officers of Squad 7, including Richard, Isara and Zaka. "I apologise for the lack of notice. I've called you for a special operation. You'll be liberating Gaillian hostages. I'm issuing this order by my own authority. I haven't reported it,__ but I'll bear the risk and blame for it."_

_"You don't have army clearance? Why not report it, Captain?" Welkin asked with a confused expression_

_"There will be no questions. You need only perform the mission as directed." Varrot told them all coldly. "The enemy are what's left of the Fouzen camp. They're holed up in a house on the outskirts of the city. Your objective are to return all hostages and capture or eliminate all Imperials. The enemy is led by a man named Geld... Giorgios Geld. He tortured and murdered Gallians in the First European War. He warrants no pity."_

_Welkin looked away, with a concerned expression, while Richard clenched his fists tightly, as Isara was the only one to notice it, while the others had their eyes on Varrot. She wondered what Geld must have done to Richard, to have caused him to react like that to his name._

_"Giorgios Geld? Elle, is this about...!?" Largo tried to ask._

_"Prepare for deployment immediately." Varrot interrupted Largo. "You are dismissed." _

_She then left the briefing room, without stopping for a moment to talk with anyone, as everyone looked at each other._

_"The captain didn't seem like her usual self. It was almost scary." Alicia remarked at Varrot's unexpected cold tone during her briefing._

_"No surprise there. She's been living the last 20 years to get revenge on Geld." Largo scowled. _

_"What!? Revenge for what?" Alicia exclaimed with shock._

_"Back in EW1, she and I were called into the militia, just like you kids now." Largo explained. "She and a buddy of mine, Frederick, were in the same squad and fell for each other quite hard. But the enemy got Frederick one day. Word is, the enemy tortured him to death."_

_"And that enemy captain was Giorgios Geld." Zaka continued. "He's one of the men under General Gregor, and he's more than feared for his cruel and sadistic tendencies to any of his enemies, especially Darcsens..."_

_"When the war ended, she stayed on. My guess is it was just for a chance of revenge, like this." Largo said._

_'"That's terrible... I had no idea." Welkin spoke with a sympathetic tone, as Richard's fists clenched tighter, causing his knuckles to turn slightly white from the sheer grip in his hands._

_"Rain... Why are you aren't saying anything... And why are your fists clenched?" Isara asked, causing everyone to turn to Richard, whose expression was stony, although his fists were trembling and tightly clenched. "Did Geld do something to you as well?"_

_Richard noticed that everyone was looking at him, especially at what he was doing, but he didn't care, as he shook his head._

_"That's not important for now." Richard answered back calmly. "Our mission comes in top priority. We'll liberate the prisoners, and then capture Geld and his men. What he had done to me isn't important. If he is truly here, then we must stop him before he flees into obscurity once again. I'll prepare for the mission."  
_

_Richard then left, as everyone watched him leave._

_"I don't know what could possibly have him like this..." Welkin muttered._

_"Like I said, he especially despises Darcsens. more than any of the other Imperials. In fact, he tortures and breaks Darcsens day by day, just to hear their screams and begging." Zaka stated with a grim expression. "Perhaps Geld was the one who ordered the hunt in his village, which is why he's determined to complete the mission. Or perhaps its something else as personal as this."_

_Isara frowned, as she silently hoped that Richard wouldn't do anything rash, when they finish the mission given by Varrot..._

* * *

_At the outskirt plains of Fouzen..._

_Richard was restraining a skinny and weaselly man, dragging him by the hands, as they and the legs were tied together. The man had short black hair and pale dark skin, as well as a handle-bar moustache, as well as grey eyes that radiated a craven and cruel nature in them. He tried to break free of his bonds, only to fail each time, before he was then thrown on the ground by Richard, as he cried in pain, while Richard walked over to Squad 7._

_Captain Varrot came out of the squad herself, as she immediately walked up to the man, with ice-cold eyes and a scowl on her face. The man looked up at Varrot with fear in his eyes._

_"So this is Giorgios Geld... Taking civilian prisoners violates treaty law, does it not?" Varrot hissed at the man, with animosity oozing from her words._

_"Please, forgive me! We just wanted to see our homes again, that's all!" The man, now known as Geld, pleaded helplessly. "I'd have released the hostages along the way! It's true, Valkyrur strike me down!"_

_Varrot grit her teeth, as her anger flared, before she then unholstered her pistol, and whipped the stock of her pistol across Geld's face with such force that he was knocked aside slightly, as his nose began to bleed, as he was reduced to whimpering._

_"SILENCE!" Varrot boomed with rage, before she then immediately cocked her pistol, pointing the barrel right where Geld's brain would be. "Who'd believe the word of scum like you? I've no doubt you'd slaughter them all. That is your true nature, Geld. Your evil won't go unpunished. For your inhumane crimes against Gaillia, I hereby sentence you to death right where I stand, by my own hand! Today, you will finally pay the price you have long eluded!"_

_"But, Captain Varrot! Prisoners of war have a right to a formal trial. You can't just..." Welkin tried to reason with Varrot._

_"I can and I will! And I won't let you stop me! I have no reason to hesitate at all! I don't care if I get stripped of my rank, or discharged from the militia, or even given a lifetime of prison time for killing him right here and now! Nothing is much more worse than letting this monster go at all!"_

_"But, Captain, the militia needs you to lead them! Who will lead the other squads, if you're discharged!?" Alicia exclaimed._

_"You are capable of leading yourselves. If killing him means that I have to leave the military, then I will do so without any regrets! I've lived for the day I end this bastard's life by my own trigger! I've spent every year waiting for a chance to get him, and in those 20 years, I have never forgotten what he done to me!" Varrot roared, as her arm began shaking. "It's all I can do for Frederick now! There's nothing else left for me, and I can finally step down, knowing that my vengeance is complete-" _

_Before she could finish her sentence, Richard immediately rushed forward, and slammed the butt of the Victoire into the back of Varrot's neck, causing her to fall unconscious and slump down to the ground, much to the shock of everyone._

_"Sorry, Varrot. But I can't let you do that." Richard told the unconscious Captain with a low tone. "I've got my own score to settle."_

_"Rain, don't kill him! You'll be punish far worse, if you committed the act yourself!" Welkin desperately shouted. "Rain, please! Don't!"_

_Richard did not respond to Welkin's cry, as he slowly walked to Geld, with a stoic expression, before he then looked down at Geld with calm eyes._

_"Hello, Geld." Richard spoke with a even tone, which caused Geld to be completely confused and surprised by his tone. "We meet again, after so long..."_

_"Who... Who are you...!?" Geld asked with a shaky voice. "Let me go...! I promise that I will leave you all alone forever! I'll do anything, just spare my life, please!"_

_"No. You won't be going anywhere." Richard stated, before he then raised the barrel of the Victoire towards Geld, who was immediately left with a deathly fear of his imminent demise in the hand of a Darcsen, a cruel act of irony on him, considering what he had done. "You won't be returning back to the Empire alive."_

_Everyone immediately panicked, seeing that, as Geld tried to scramble away in a futile attempt to run away from his demise. Largo prepared to intercept Richard, before he could fire, while Reisen, Marisa, Sanae and Gus only stood by to watch, although Gus was more worried than the others._

_As Richard cornered Geld, the disgraceful Imperial officer immediately shielded himself with his arms, as if he believed that he could protect himself with them, and closing his eyes and wailing miserably. Richard merely watched for a few moments, before he then lowered his grip on the Victorie, to the grip of the gun, before he threw it aside with a casual swipe._

_"But you won't die either, Geld." Richard stated. "You're going to be a prisoner of war for Gallia, Geld. And I hope that you'll soon get used to being that for a long time, considering your actions."  
_

_"Buh..." Geld whimpered pathetically, as everyone was left confused as to why Richard spared Geld so suddenly, before he was then dragged up by the collar, as his eyes met with Richard's own._

_"You know, Geld..." Richard stated. "I got to admit, I once thought that I would personally kill myself, for what you have done to my people. I don't think you'll remember me, but I was one of the Darcsens who fled from your little purges. So of course you wouldn't know me at all. You just think of me as a living eyesore, not worthy of being a person at all. And worst of all, you slaughter my entire town, just to root me out. Well, now you have me here. Unfortunately, it's a role reversal, because it's not you who found me, but me who found you."_

_Richard then snorted with a disgusted expression, as he looked over to where the rest of Squad 7 were. "But it was thanks you you, Geld, that I managed to find another group of people who saw me as I truly was, and were free of prejudice from me. I fought for them, and they fought with me, and so we became together."_

_"What... What is the point of this!?" Geld demanded. "Do you think that I care about your pathetic friendship with the rats of Gallia?"_

_"Of course not. I didn't expect that at all. It's because of the fact that I met Squad 7, that I abandoned my own vengeance." Richard continued. "You see, when I fought against the Empire, I met people who were a thousand-fold more competent and honourable than you, Geld. And not a single one looked like the miserable weasel you were. They died fighting on the front-lines, and not once did they curse me by their last breath, while they laid dying. I guess that's vengeance enough for me."_

_Geld twitched with fury, as Richard mocked him as a weasel, as Richard smirked back at him._

_"That's right. After all those years, you have stooped so low that you have become an utter weasel. That's another reason why I won't kill you. But you don't deserve to die." Richard stated directly to Geld. "Either because I refuse to dirty my hands killing you, someone who doesn't even have any power over my fate, or because I believe that dying is the easy way out for you, and that a lifetime of imprisonment and forced penance is more fitting for a cowardly bastard like you, that's for you to decide. Either way, I have my orders. And that is to capture or kill the Imperials. However, keeping you as a POW will have more benefits to our army, since the Empire will be crippled slightly with you, and many more lives will be saved without your presence."_

_"Grr..." Geld growled at Richard. "Don't think this is over-"_

_"Actually, we're done talking, and there's nothing you can do to stop me. Enjoy your forced atonement, Giorgios." Richard spoke with a sugar-coated tone of voice, as he cocked back a fist. "Bon soir."_

_He then slammed the fist into Geld's face with such force, that the blow immediately rendered him unconscious, and sent him flying back, while Richard shook his hand, as if he got something on them, punching Geld on the face._

_"Man, that's more satisfying than putting an bullet in his head." Richard remarked, before he turned around to the rest of the squad. "Well, had you there for a moment, haven't I, all of you?"_

_"I... I was really frightened back then." Alicia stated. "I thought that you were really going to kill Geld yourself."_

_"Like I said, I'm above such things right now." Richard grumbled back. "Now then, Welkin, if you will please. I'll explain myself to Varrot, when she wakes up."_

_"I need to talk to her as well." Largo said as well._

_"...Right. Squad 7, apprehend the enemy officer. We will have him detained in the city prison, when we return to Randgriz." Welkin stated, as Reisen and Sanae immediately pulled the unconscious Imperial officer up, before talking him away, as the others followed as well, while Richard slung Varrot's body over his shoulder._

_When Varrot woke up, Richard and Largo were right in front of me._

_"What happened...?" Varrot asked them both._

_"That does not matter, Captain." Richard told her firmly. "What matters is what you might have done."_

_"I was doing this world a favour by getting rid of Geld once and for all!" Varrot shouted back at Richard. "What reason do you have for stopping me right now!? I have nothing else I desire, but a resolution to all of this!"  
_

_Largo shook his head with a grim expression. __"Don't do this, Elle." He told her firmly. "This isn't like you at all. You should be much more calm about all of this._

_"How can I be calm!? This snake of a man killed Frederick! He butchered our friend, Largo!" Varrot cried. "Frederick died horribly, tortured, broken and alone! Doesn't that make you angry towards that bastard!?"_

_"'Course it does, Elle. I could wring that rat bastard's neck myself." Largo responded back. "But do you think that Frederick would want you to waste his death on destroying yourself for revenge!? Look at Rain, he basically told everyone that it was Geld who personally led the hunt that razed his village and murdered all of the townspeople! He not only lost a friend to Geld, but also his family and his entire town! If he wanted Geld dead, he would literally wasted no time shooting him dead the moment he got his hands on him!"_

_"Rain... Is this all true...?" Varrot asked Richard with disbelief._

_"Yes it is..." Richard stated with a bow of his head. "But you must understand, Captain, killing him won't change a thing. And to me, killing him would be a mercy, since he never gave a swift and painless death to those he killed. So he doesn't deserve to die by anyone's hand. Let nature take its course on him, as he will have no choice but to slowly fall into despair upon being condemned to live a pointless life eternally."_

_"Woah, that's a bit too harsh there, Rain." Largo told Richard._

_"But the main reason why I did this, is because I am a good soldier. I may be going against your orders and wishes doing this, Captain, but a good soldier does not just blindly follow orders." Richard told Varrot with a serious tone. "A good soldier knows a erroneous order when they receive it, and they'll try their best to try and either find out why the order was made, or find a way to attain alternative results from following the order. You told me to capture or kill the Imperials, Geld included. I did capture all that aren't dead. If the enemy is disarmed, then I have no reason to kill them, since they'll be unable to cause harm to anyone."_

_"I..." Varrot muttered quietly back._

_"You didn't stick around the force this long just to take revenge, Elle." Largo stated with a pitying tone. "You stayed for a chance to give yourself this new beginning, a chance for someone to break you free of the vengeance that burdens you."_

_"Captain... It's all over. Even if don't kill Geld, you have saved many more lives. And if Frederick was there... He would be proud that you have stopped his atrocities, and that would be enough." Richard told her with a warm smile._

_"I... I...!" Varrot cried, as her voice became more and more shaky, before tears leaked from her eyes, as she sobbed uncontrollably, as she clutched her face with both of her hands. _

_"Don't cry, Elle." Largo tried to comfort Varrot, as he embraced her caringly. __"If you'll have me, I... I'll watch over you. Forever."_

_Richard then did the same, as he hugged Varrot to comfort her some more, as her sobs slowly turned into sniffles, as both of her fellow comrades helped to soothe her aching heart, until she slowly calmed down._

* * *

_In the lounge..._

"Somebody said tomorrow's the Feast, right?" Largo asked. "I forgot all about it this year."

"Well, we're soldiers, not to mention that we got a mission on that very day." Gus remarked, as he sighed in a depressed manner.

"Hey, now! Do you guys even know the reason of this holiday?" Ellet asked them.

"Reason? It's the day you give presents to the guy you like, ain't it?" Rosie answered back.

"Yes, but no!" Ellet stated, wagging her finger cheekily at Rosie. "The Feast of All Spirits is the day all the spirits in Gallia share their love. They say the practice of giving gifts to those you love come from that belief."

"Well, I'm surprised that you know so much about the holiday, Irene." Sanae spoke with a astonished tone.

"What can I say, I'm a journalist! I don't let those kinds of details slip away in my mind." Ellet chuckled.

"Back in the day, people gave presents to everyone important to them, not just lovers." Zaka added.

"Bingo! Give the man a prize. For a big grizzly bear, you sure know your stuff!" Ellet cheered, pointing at Zaka with her pen.

"How gracious of you to say... Though I like to think I'm more of a teddy bear." Zaka grumbled back.

"Haha, well I can see how that would go, Zaka!" Richard laughed heartily.

"Everyone, could I have a moment?" Isara asked, as she came into the room, everyone's eyes directed to her.

"Sure, I'm surprised to see you in the lounge. What's up?" Largo asked her.

She didn't respond, as she then walked up to everyone, before producing small ragdolls, not unlike the one that the Darcsen girl carried, except they looked like miniature versions of the squad members, as she handed Rosie, Largo, Richard, Sanae, Reisen, Gus and Marisa their doll counterparts, surprising everyone.

"This is... like the one that the Darcsen girl always held in her hand...?" Largo asked with surprise.

"Those dolls are Darcsen good luck charms. I wanted to give them to you all." Isara stated with a warm smile. "I made them myself, and it took me quite a lot of time to make these dolls. Turns out that several of the squadmates helped me on it, including Jean."

"Woah... It looks so... adorable!" Sanae exclaimed with a amazed expression, as she looked at the plushy doll in her hands.

"I'm very grateful for the gift, Isara." Reisen responded back.

"Man, these dolls actually look quite good, when compared to the ones that a certain friend of mine made..." Marisa smiled, before she then looked up to nothing. "I wonder how she's doing in my absence, huh...?"

"Isara... I can't believe you made these for us..." Gus stated.

"You... Why would you do this for us, Isara? You didn't have to do this, we were happy to accept spending time with you all as a way to celebrate the Feast, even in war." Richard stated. "Well, not that I haven't considered the gifting tradition."

"I... I've always wanted to be your friend, from the first day." Isara admitted with a timid tone. "We may have had our share of disagreements, Largo and Rosie, but you've helped me more than I can say. I'd like to use the Feast as an opportunity to grow a little closer to all of you. As for the rest of you... I wanted to thank you for fighting so hard for the rest of us, and taking care of everyone, as if we were a whole family. Especially you, Rain, who treated me like a second brother, a Darcsen one who cares for me so well."

"I... I never though I would have such an impact on you, Isara, from that day on..." Richard sheepishly stated, with a blush on his cheeks, while rubbing the back of his head in a shy gesture. "I never thought about what you would think of me, other than being your friend..."

"You know, seeing Fouzen gave me a lot to think about. Plus, I... you know, I've been waiting to talk to you for a while now, too." Largo responded back to Isara. "For being so young, you got some perspective, still a little bull-headed though at times. But thanks for the lucky charm, and for coming out here, Isara."

"Largo... Thank you so much." Isara thanked Largo with a big smile.

"I can't just let you give all of this, and get nothing in return..." Richard stated. "I got something myself for you, Isara. But I'll leave it a surprise until you see it for yourself. So could you please close your eyes for me, just for a moment?"

"A-Alright." Isara replied back, as she closed her eyes tightly.

Richard then pulled out a small necklace from one of his pockets, before then placing it around Isara's neck, as the necklace itself was a sapphire gem in the shape of a bird with a silver border, encrusted with sky-blue gems. "You may open them now." Richard told Isara, as she did so, and was immediately shocked at the necklace Richard brought for her. "I have to admit, custom-ordering this necklace cost me quite a lot out of my own earnings, but I believe that it was worth every single ducat I paid."

"Rain... You can't possibly... How could I accept this?" Isara spoke with a flustered tone, overwhelmed by Richard's gift to her.

"Think of it as compensation for your efforts in making these good luck doll charms for us." Richard told her with a humble tone. "Keep it, now that it's on you, it looks truly fitting for someone like you."

"Rain... I... I'm so happy that you would return me a gift..." Isara spoke,moved by Richard's generosity. "I could never say how glad and thankful I am for this."

"Oh, don't worry, Rain's not the kind of guy to take things and give nothing back." Marisa smirked back at Isara. "That's just how he is, hehe."

While the others talked, Rosie was looking at the doll charm in her hands, as she gazed at it with a conflicted expression, as her hands shook holding it.

"I... I..." Rosie muttered, before she then gently placed the doll in her hands back on the table. "I can't take it, Isara..."

"Rosie, you ain't a kid here. Quit being so damn stubborn already!" Largo scolded her.

"You shut it! I just..." Rosie shouted, before she then sighed deeply. "Look, I got no need for presents from dark-hairs."

Rosie's words elicited a gasp from Sanae, Gus and Ellet, while Reisen glared coldly at Rosie, and Marisa gnashed her teeth together, as her fists were clenched so tight that her knuckles were white. Zaka shook his head with disappointment, while Largo was horrified by what Rosie just said. Isara herself, looked at Rosie, then at the doll of her sitting on the table, as she collected it with a sad expression. Richard looked at her with a sympathetic expression.

"...I understand. I'm sorry. I'll be on my way now." Isara muttered back, before she walked out of the lounge with a defeated expression.

"Yeah, I think I'm done, too." Zaka growled, before he left the lounge with a brisk walk.

Richard turned to Rosie, before he then shook his head with a disappointed expression. "How could you, Rosie... How could you just say that, like nothing changed...?"

Rosie looked at Richard, as she tried to say something, before Richard got up and left without another word. Gus and Sanae followed after him, but not after Sanae looked at her with a hurt expression, before she then left as well. Reisen left after them, not turning to address anyone.

The only people who were on the table now, was Largo, Rosie, Ellet and Marisa. Marisa was standing there silently.

"Even after all that, you haven't changed." Marisa muttered, before she then got up. "You utterly disgust me, Rosie. And here I thought that you would have at least tried to change."

"What do you expect me to do!?" Rosie shouted back at Marisa, annoyed. "I can't just change in such a short time! I'm not that big of a person!"

"You? Change? Pah!" Marisa spat out, as she turned to glare at Rosie with eyes filled with fury. "Just because you suddenly had a change of attitude, you would be forgiven by us? You forgot that you spent a long time distancing yourself to Rain, and mocking him behind his back. Do you think you deserve to have our forgiveness after all of that, especially right now? Listen here, 'Rosie'. In no way in goddamned hell, will I ever find it within me to forgive you. You repeatedly looked down at my friend, and that is truly unforgivable, and now you do this! You can cry and beg all you want, but only Gus and Sally will buy in your little act. I sure don't care a single bit about your remorse, since you showed none with what you did with Rain, or Isara in that matter. Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to meet up with a actual comrade."

Marisa then stomped out of the lounge, as Largo looked at Rosie with a pitiful expression, as Rosie was shocked by Marisa's words, as she didn't do anything to stare at the table.

* * *

_In the R&R department..._

Isara was modifying the Edelweiss, as she had a sad expression on her face doing so, as if she was still hurt from what Rosie said earlier.

"Isara, I don't think Rosie really meant to hurt you when she said that." Zaka told her, as he was working on his own tank, the Shamrock. "She just didn't know what to say."

"No, I... I know that, Mr. Zaka." Isara responded back. "But I do wonder if dreams of a future which we're all equal will only bring pain."

"Now, don't get impatient on me. Getting close to somebody takes time, Isara." Zaka scolded Isara lightly. "That said, nothing in this world doesn't change."

"Yes... I know. Even if slowly, change will happen." Isara agreed.

"Exactly. So don't let it get you down. She's just worked up over tomorrow's operation." Zaka smiled back.

Suddenly, Richard came rushing into the department, bee-lining for Isara.

"Isara... Thank god I managed to find you after looking for you for so long." Richard panted with exhaustion, as Isara turned to him, stopping her work on the Edelweiss. "I never expected that you would work off your worries on the Edelweiss. Look, I just want to tell you that Rosie shouldn't have said what she said before, but she just doesn't know what to do in the situation."

"Thank you, Rain, but Mr. Zaka told me about it already." Isara humbly responded back, before turning to Zaka. "Speaking of tomorrow's op? I need to speak to Welks about the plan."

"What plan? You come up with a solution for those guns?" Zaka asked, curious about Isara's idea.

"If we modify something I've been developing, it may provide our ground troops protection." Isara explained.

"Really!?" Richard exclaimed with relief and joy. "Tell me, Isara! I must know what kind of brilliant idea you have in mind to ensure the safety of all the infantry!"

"Sure, I'll just give you a quick look, Rain. But only for a while, I'll need to go and speak with Welks about it as soon as possible." She stated, before taking one of the developmental blueprints nearby her, and handing it to Richard.

He immediately opened it, before he was completely astonished by the contents of the blueprint. "This... This...!" Richard remarked, before he handed the blueprint back to Isara. "Isara, if I could kiss you on the cheek without earning the ire of anyone, I'd do it in a heart-beat, you little genius, you!"

"Hehe, you're welcome, Rain." Isara giggled, before she then waved off to both Zaka and Richard. "Goodbye!"

"Goodby... bye? Hey, Isara!" Zaka shouted to stop Isara, although she already left before she could hear it, as he sighed. "...And she's gone. Those two are really siblings. They get into something, and they're in their own world."

"Yeah, makes you wonder, huh...?" Richard nodded as well.

"By the way, what did you see in that blueprint, that caused you to react like that?" Zaka asked him.

"Something that will minimise our causalities, even completely negate them." Richard answered with a smile. "If you really want to know, take this as a hint: It regards the same method we used in our first official battle as Squad 7, the Liberation of Vasel."

Suddenly, the two of them heard the sounds of gunshots, causing them to whip their heads towards the sounds.

"What is that...?" Zaka asked Richard.

"I think it might be something related to one of the prototype weapon projects we recovered from the last battle." Richard responded back. "Remy's the one who found it, and it seems to be a weapon fitting of her class. I'll go and check her out. You just make sure the Shamrock is top-notch and ready for combat."

"Will do." Zaka nodded, before he went back to maintaining the Shamrock, as Richard immediately walked to where Reisen was in the building, as she was wielding a sniper rifle, which was modified with a long and wide barrel, as well as a reinforced shoulder stock, and a relatively long magazine attached to the bottom of the weapon, and painted with a blue and white paint-job, with the crest of white lightning bolts on the sides of the weapon, using it to snipe out targets on the same shooting range that Richard tested the Victoire out on, as she was landing shot after shot, as the rifle was firing at the rate that no standard sniper rifle could reach, shooting targets quickly left and right.

After she finished testing her new weapon, Reisen immediately slid the bullet waste chamber on the gun open, as many empty sniper bullet shells clattered on the ground, and she turned to face Richard.

"Hey, Remy. How's the new sniper rifle doing for you?" Richard asked.

"It feels different. But it feels like that, in a good way." Reisen stated. "Although I have to compensate for less accuracy with the rapid-fire capabilities, I can effectively utilise over-watch with the semi-auto firing mode of the weapon. And not a single point is sacrificed off the calibre of the utilised bullets, so the lethality of the weapon remains the same as the others."

"Ooh, I wouldn't want to be the Imp who crosses your line of sight after you have a weapon like this." Richard hissed in a sympathetic tone. "Still, no enemy would dare approach me from the front, when I have the Victoire on me. Speaking of which, what will you call this weapon?"

"In accordance to your naming scheme for that weapon of yours, I'll call it the Tonnerre." Reisen answered back.

"Storm, or Thunder, eh...?" Richard remarked with a hand on his chin, before he smiled. "I like it. Is it to your liking?"

"Yes." Reisen nodded, before she immediately placed the rifle on her back. "The researchers have made sure that this weapon is working at full order. "Don't you have training to get to?"

"Training...?" Richard asked, before he immediately blanched, when he realised that he's not in training, when it's time for stormtrooper training. "Crap! Sorry, got to go, now!"

Richard immediately turned around and rushed out of the department at full pace, as Reisen couldn't help but smile lightly at Richard's rushed attitude.

* * *

_A day later, in the briefing room..._

"Hey, boss. We, uh, got a plan today?" Largo asked, with a worried tone.

"Well, Isara and I came up with a little something last night." Welkin answered back. "It seems like that it's very helpful for the mission."

"Speaking of, Isara still isn't here, is she?" Alicia asked Welkin.

"Give it time, Alicia, Isara wouldn't leave us waiting for so long, without any reason for it." Richard assured her.

Suddenly, the briefing room's door opened, as Isara stumbled in. "I apologise for being so late. Welks, it's done." Isara declared as soon as she did so, causing everyone to turn to her.

"You finished in time, Is!" Welkin remarked with relief.

"Yes. These smoke rounds should help keep our foot soldiers safe from fire." Isara replied.

"Smoke rounds?" Alicia asked, not knowing what Isara is talking about.

"A new type of tank cannon rounds." Welkin explained, as he slapped a photo of the smoke tank cannon round on the war table. "They don't do any damage, but they create a smokescreen."

"And if we tactfully place our smoke clouds in our advance, we will be able to ensure that we pass through without getting shot at." Richard continued. "After all, no enemy, ruthless or not, is stupid to waste ammunition firing into a smoke cloud, if it's a diversion. So we'll make them think like that, and they'll be taken care of, without knowing where their enemies were all this time."

"And you just finished them now?" Zaka asked with a sigh. "So you didn't sleep at all last night, huh?"

"...The 7's are like my family... Alicia, Rosie, Largo, Mr. Zaka, Welks, Rain, Sally, Gus, Mari, Remy, and little Hans, too. I don't want... None of you can die." Isara told everyone in the room, as she then smiled warmly. "If these smokescreens can protect you even a little, it'll be well worth it."

"Isara, you..." Rosie stated with a astonished and deeply touched expression.

"Nice going, kiddo! With these things, we'll be practically invisible!" Largo exclaimed back.

"Yeah, this battle just got a lot less scary. Thanks, Isara." Alicia thanked Isara.

"You're welcome, all of you..." Isara replied back.

"All right, let's get ready. Squad 7, move out!" Welkin declared.

Richard was looking at Isara with a pained look, as he squeezed his eyes shut, and clenched his fists tightly.

'_Isara... You won't die here. I won't allow it, even if I have to take a thousand bullets through me to change that sorrid fate of yours..._' Richard thought with determination.

Advance Team: Edelweiss(Welkin & Isara), Shamrock(Zaka), Rain, Mari, Remy, Rosie, Largo, Sally, Gus, Vyse, Nancy

* * *

_In Marberry Shore..._

The team was separated into two squads, one with the Shamrock, and the other with the Edelweiss. Nancy, Largo, Rosie, Alicia and Vyse were behind the Shamrock, while Richard, Gus, Reisen, Marisa and Sanae were with the Edelweiss. Both squads made their way to the open shore, where there was no cover at all, making it extremely dangerous for the attackers.

"Clear out the Imperial shoreline defences!" Welkin ordered his team, dictating the objective. "Squad 7, move out!"

He then immediately hopped back into the Edelweiss, closing the top hatch, as both tanks of the squad immediately powered themselves up.

"Here we are, squad, the Marberry shore. There really isn't any cover at all out here." Welkin remarked through the comms.

"Welks, just to remind you, aim the smoke rounds at the ground, or objects. That should allow the cannon round to disperse its smoke properly around the area." Isara reminded Welkin. "And don't forget that the smoke will dissipate a short while after they're fired, Welks. Plus, an explosive blast in it will clear it out instantly with the force."

"My Shamrock can't fire smoke rounds like you, but I'll pick up the slack on offence." Zaka stated.

"That's right, this is our first op with you, Zaka. Good to have you." Welkin responded back.

"Wouldn't miss it at all. Now let's go sock one to the Empire!" Zaka exclaimed back.

"Right. Deploying smoke rounds. Edelweiss team, make your advance on my signal!" Welkin relayed to the team with the tank, as the Edelweiss launched the smoke round like a mortar round, as it exploded into a cloud of thick smoke. "Now!"

"Roger that!" Richard stated. "Let's go, guys! Make sure everyone stays an arm's length from each other! You don't want to come out of the wrong side of the smoke cloud!"

The team immediately sprinted into the smoke cloud, as they dissipated into the thick smoke, as their surroundings were murky, although they could see the faint outlines of their surroundings.

"Hey, Mari. You should be able to see one of the gun encampments, right?" Richard asked Marisa. "Mind if you can make the shot, even in the smoke?"

"Pft, I'm used to shooting in unfair circumstances like this!" Marisa scoffed, before she readied her lance. "Well, they won't see this one coming."

She then fired her lance, as her rocket shot out of the smoke cloud, dissipating some parts of it from the force of the attack, but still keeping the squad concealed within it, as the projectile impacted the top of one of the gun emplacement on the cliff-side, caving in the opening, and rendering it unusable.

"Woah... You actually made that shot from the smoke...?" Largo remarked. "Damn, you got good eyes for sure, better than mine, I'd say!"

"Right, with that side down, the Edelweiss team should be safe for now." Welkin stated. "Shamrock, and escort team, begin your advance when I fire the smoke round in your path!"

The Edelweiss immediately loaded another smoke round, before creating another smoke cloud, that allowed the rest of the Squad 7 infantry to make their way through the shore undetected. The Shamrock immediately resisted the rattling gunfire aimed at it, before Zaka fired the Shamrock's cannon, making a direct hit that destroyed the other cliff-side gun emplacement.

"Looks like both of them are down. I didn't expect this to happen, but still... Thank god, no one was injured by the gunfire." Welkin stated.

"You might need to use the smoke rounds in front. Surprising the enemy should make it easy to take the area in front of us." Gus suggested.

"Right, that would seem like a good idea, considering I can see an Imperial camp in front of us." Welkin replied back, before he fired a smoke round into the choke-point of the shore, as both teams made their way into the smoke cloud. When they came out, they were right on top of the enemy, as the Imperial soldiers panicked at their sudden appearances, allowing them to be cut down by Richard and Rosie, as Alicia claimed the camp for their own.

"All right, we've cleared the beach!" Welkin shouted. "Great job everyone."

"We managed to get rid of the threat of the enemy gun emplacements, at least for now." Isara remarked as well.

The scouts then observed the path ahead, as there was a fork in the path, although the left path was protected by a medium tank, while the right path was only accessible by foot-soldiers, and there were quite a few Imperial soldiers guarding the path.

"Say, Isara... Does smoke rounds work against enemy tanks. In the sense that they can obscure the sight of tanks as well?" Richard asked.

"Yes... Why?" Isara asked back.

"I can see where this is going." Sanae interrupted. "That medium tank has the high ground, and would be more likely to hit us than we can to them. If we use the smoke rounds to obscure their vision, they won't know where we are, but we can attack them from behind it, taking it out without the enemy knowing our location."

"Right. Deploying another smoke round." Isara stated, as the Edelweiss created a smoke cloud on the left path.

"Alright, time to bust a tank from the shadows, heh~!" Marisa chuckled maliciously, as she and Largo fired their lances into the smoke cloud, around about where the medium tank was, as they were rewarded with the sounds of two rockets piercing tank armour, before exploding quite loudly. "Deal with this, if you can!"

Right after Marisa's mocking statement, the plopping sound of a enemy mortar round being fired was heard, before the sound of it hitting the ground could be heard right within the smoke cloud, as it immediately dispersed in a explosion of blue light, exposing them to the gunfire, as both Lancers were shocked, and immediately ducked behind the Shamrock, just in time for the tank's MG to fire upon them.

"Shit, shit, I wasn't expecting them to do that!" Marisa exclaimed.

"Don't worry, I got you guys covered! Take this!" Zaka shouted, as the Shamrock fired off a cannon round, that immediately contacted with the severely damaged medium tank on the other side, destroying it. "Enemy down!"

"Alright, Sally, the Edelweiss and the Shamrock will take the right path. The rest of you take the left path. We'll make sure that we fire smoke rounds to cover your advance around the battlefield." Welkin ordered everyone.

"Will do." Rosie answered back, as she immediately made her way to the right path, before she was targeted by a Imperial stormtrooper, causing her to immediately snap to cover, before she fired her weapon in retaliation, scoring a few hits on the head and taking them out.

The rest of the group immediately advanced, covering each and every possible angle of attack while moving, before they immediately continued. They found a sniper nest, which Reisen took, immediately climbing up, and taking her position on it. The Imperial soldiers immediately mobilised, when they noticed Reisen taking aim at them, although their movement caused her to snipe out her enemies with quick succession, as she cleared out every single enemy that came into her sight, before immediately reloading her rifle, which the ruthless chain of sniper fire had exhausted.

"Damn, that's one powerful rifle there." Vyse remarked with a envious tone. "Accurate and far-reaching as a sniper, but just as fast as a standard rifle... She's going to get herself a lot of kills up there..."

"We still have other matters to deal with." Richard stated, pointing at a Imperial heavy tank in the distance, before he then activated his comms. "Welkin, requesting smoke round at coordinates 1, 1.5."

"Copy that, firing!" Welkin responded back, with a smoke cloud in their path, as it covered most of the front of the Imperial medium tank.

The group immediately advanced, as they moved their way through the curved route, as Nancy took out one of the enemy gatling bunkers, by detonating the ragnite energy containers on the back, causing an violent explosion that tore the bunker apart, while Marisa immediately took out the enemy heavy tank from behind, using the smoke to obscure her movement, and taking it out amongst the mist, as the explosion dissipated the mist, except the tank was in burning scraps. Richard, Vyse, Gus, Alicia and Rosie took out the rest of the enemies with their gun-fire, while the Edelweiss moved up the slope, and destroyed the other gatling turret in their path, with a single cannon shot, and Sanae immediately darted through the battlefield to take the enemy camp in the small area for the squad.

"Excellent work. Now all that remains is the enemy main camp." Welkin praised everyone.

"And there seems to be another set of cliff-side gun emplacements in the area." Isara added, referring to the other pair in the path to the enemy main camp. "We should regroup and plan our advance accordingly."

"Right, everyone, on the tanks." Reisen stated, as she immediately came down the sniper nest, and joined up with the other squad members with the Edelweiss and Shamrock.

"We got enemies ahead as well." Alicia responded back. "Looks like we'll have to shoot from within the smoke cloud."

"It may hurt our accuracy, and we might lose the element of surprise by doing so, but if we fire at the same time, surely we'll be able to hit something. And for you, Mari and Largo, surely something as big as a enemy tank couldn't possibly be invisible amongst the outlines of our surroundings inside the smoke cloud, right?" Richard said as well.

"Really?" Largo asked.

"Well, that big thing was really obvious to see, even in the smoke. Doubly so for their exposed radiator." Marisa responded back.

"Right, I'll take your word for it." Largo nodded.

"Permission for a all-out assault on enemy targets, Lieutenant?" Richard asked Welkin.

"I sure hope you know what you're doing, Rain..." Welkin told Richard.

"Come on, this isn't the craziest plan we've made as a squad, and you know that for a fact right...?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Sorry for doubting you. Let's do it." Welkin stated, before he laid the smoke cloud for the others to enter. "Now's your chance!"

"You heard our commander! Let's get this done and dusted!" Richard stated, as everyone followed him into the smoke cloud, as they waited in the centre, for the smoke to slowly dissipate and give them a clear view of the enemies ahead. "Wait for it, wait for it..."

As the smoke slowly waned out, the foot-soldier squad immediately got their line of sight on their enemies, or more specifically their blurred outlines, which was the signal for everyone to attack. "NOW!"

At the signal, everyone immediately fired everything they got on the enemy, as the overwhelming barrage of fire tore through their, and committed several acts of overkill, leaving the bullet-riddled corpses of the enemy squad's soldiers, and the rubble of its tank in the area, just as everyone rushed out of the smoke cloud, before it disappeared and exposed them to the cliff-side gun emplacements.

As they rushed around, they found the enemy main camp, devoid of its defenders, which could have possibly been the victims of said onslaught, as Nancy was given the honours of raising the Gallian banner, as everyone cheered at their victory, while the Edelweiss and Shamrock rolled into base.

"Operation complete! We've taken the Marberry Shore for our army!" Welkin exclaimed. "And I was so afraid of the causalities that might have resulted... Thank god for those smoke rounds from Is... Thank you for it."

"No worries, Welks. I'm glad that we managed to make it out of this all alive." Isara spoke back with a warm tone.

* * *

_A few hours later, in the Marberry Shore base..._

The officers of Squad 7 were taking care of matters in the base, as Isara was taking care of the Edelweiss, while Alicia and Welkin conversed with each other, and Largo was leaning against one of the building walls, taking a smoke from a large cigar. Reisen was immediately doing maintenance on her new weapon, making sure that no part of it is damaged or worn, while Gus and Marisa were taking a look around, and Zaka was looking up to the sky, from the top of the Shamrock. Richard and Sanae were talking to each other.

"So, this should help the others advance, right?" Sanae asked Richard, as she veiled her true meaning behind her words.

"Yeah, it should be, Sally. With the shore taken back, the Imperials will have one less route to invade the rest of Gallia with." Richard responded back. "Surely that they'll react quite badly to this kind of development right, that they'll start getting desperate to attain their goals, right?"

"Hm... And I hope that no-one is left behind, dead or not..." Sanae stated with a sorrowful look in her eyes, as she looked briefly at Isara.

"Don't worry. None of us will let it happen, and neither will Welkin and the others." Richard assured Sanae, with a hand on her shoulder.

Soon, Rosie walked over to Isara, as she had a guilty expression on her face, while her hand clutched the doll that Isara made for her, as Isara turned around to address her.

"Hi Rosie, how can I help you?" Isara asked her, as she stood up.

"Well... you have already." Rosie weakly smiled, in a attempt to lighten the mood, before it dropped back down, as she raised the doll for Isara to see.

"You mean the doll I made for you?" Isara questioned Rosie, as she was surprised to see her doll in her hands. "I didn't know you kept it."

"Funny that, you said it was a 'good luck charm', right?" Rosie asked back. "I still owe you one from the Feast, and especially with Rain giving you a present back for it. So... Anything you want, just name it..."

Everyone turned around to face Rosie, including Marisa, who was genuinely curious to see what was going on.

"Let me think..." Isara hummed, placing a fist under her chin in thought, before she then thought of her request. "You know what? I'd like to hear you sing, Rosie."

"Huh? You want me to... sing?" Rosie asked, stunned and pointing at herself.

"Yes, you told me before that you always enjoyed it." Isara cheerfully stated. "I'd really love to hear you. I bet you're great."

Rosie was silent for a few moments, before she then smiled back. "Okay then. It's a promise." She nodded, as she reached a hand out.

Isara smiled back, as she moved to take the hand, before Richard looked around, and managed to see a Imperial sniper that was aiming for Isara, as no-one noticed it, with their attention on both Rosie and her. The Imperial soldier's finger was immediately on the trigger, as they slowly pressed down on it quietly.

'_Shit! I've managed to find where the shot is coming from, but it's too late to shoot them... But I can still...!_' Richard frantically thought, before he immediately kicked off the ground and ran into a break-neck sprint towards Isara.

"Rain...?" Sanae muttered, before Richard managed to reach Isara, as both Rosie and Isara saw Richard coming their way, as they turned to face him.

"Rosie, down!" Richard shouted loudly, as Rosie instinctively did so, while Richard darted towards Isara.

As the Imperial soldier's squeezed the trigger fully, Richard pushed Isara right onto the ground, taking Isara's place as the target. The weapon fired off, right through the right side of Richard's chest, as the shot pierced right through the combat suit he was wearing, as the high-calibre round went in and out of Richard's chest, as he was knocked back slightly, with a shocked expression on his face.

Even with pain searing through his chest, as he felt himself unable to breathe properly, he managed to keep himself from screaming and straight-out falling into hemorrhagic shock, as the bullet wound began to leak blood, that ran down the front and back, as he groaned and growled, before falling onto his knees and landing on the ground, clutching the wound on his chest.

Rosie and Isara watched with horror, as Richard grit his teeth, as he tried to resist the pain, while Reisen immediately slammed a clip into the Tornerre, and killed the hidden Imperial sniper with a shot through the head.

"No... Rain!" Rosie exclaimed.

"Rain!" Isara cried in horror.

They both immediately went over to Richard, who was breathing weakly, as the bullet pierced through one of his lungs, causing a whistling sound to be faintly heard from the wound itself. He then looked up, as his expression was twisted with pain.

"Don't you die on me...!" Rosie exclaimed, as she slowly raised him onto his feet, by lifting him under his shoulder, as he slumped slightly on her. "I... I still haven't apologised for what I have done earlier... To both you and Isara..."

"Heh heh... The enemy really wanted to take any of us officers down, eh...?" Richard tried to joke, with a slightly distant and wheezy voice, before he coughed up some blood. "Fuck, that was a high-calibre sniper rifle... That tore through my right lung... That's a few steps more worse than the fractured leg from encountering that Valkyria..."

"Rain, please... Don't strain yourself trying to talk!" Isara exclaimed with concern and worry about Richard. "Your lung is already punctured, and you could die if you don't get treatment soon enough!"

"I'll get the medic!" Welkin exclaimed, as he immediately entered the Edelweiss, as he activated the squad comms. "Fina! We need your medical attention! Rain has been critically wounded by a enemy sniper, and is in need of your help!"

"Lieutenant!?" Fina's voice rang through the comms. "I'll be there as quick as I can!"

Largo then noticed that there were several Imperial soldiers making their way to the base, as he growled. "We got company! Everybody get ready for combat!"

"I'm sorry, Rain... I shouldn't have stayed in the open like that..." Isara spoke with a very sorrowful voice, as she felt guilty for getting Richard shot. "If it wasn't for you, I'd be..."

"Don't say that..." Richard responded back with a weak growl. "Isara... What matters is that you're unharmed. I can handle this kind of wound. But you certainly won't... I'm glad that it wasn't you who took the shot..."

"Rain... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry...!" Isara cried, as tears began to flow down her cheeks.

Rosie immediately moved Richard behind one of the buildings, as Marisa immediately went over to him.

"Oi, Rain... You alright there?" Marisa asked with slight concern in her voice. "You can't possibly be done in by something like this, right?"

"Remember that time I got shot in the abdomen, Mari?" Richard questioned her back. "I'll tell you right now, getting shot through the lung is a few times worse than that. At least I could breathe properly getting shot in the stomach... My remaining good lung feels like it's about to explode, and the other one feels like that its being squeezed dry... That how the pain feels like."

"Shit... Just hang in there, alright?" Marisa told Richard with a worried look in her eyes, before she turned to Sanae, who just equipped her rifle. "Hey, Sally! Get yourself over here and take care of Rain! You'd want to give him some of your magical ragnaid!"

"Right away!" Sanae yelled back, as she rushed over, and pulled out the ragnaid diffuser. "Rain, this will sting for a few moments, but it should stop your bleeding, but not the punctured lung itself."

"Do it..." Richard whispered back, before Sanae activated it over the bullet wound, as the wound was slowly being sealed together, although doing so caused Richard's pain to spike, as he writhed and roared in pain, but keeping himself where he was, until the process was complete, as he was left wheezing and groaning.

Everyone immediately fired their weapons at the Imperial soldiers, as they were being forced back, or killed by the soldiers. While they did so however, they heard the sound of a Imperial light tank rolling into the area, as everyone paled in fear at the arrival of enemy armour in the area.

"Crap! And we don't have our lances with us right now!" Marisa exclaimed. "Welkin, what now!?"

"We'll have to hold the tank off as long as we can!" Welkin shouted. "Zaka, Is, into the tanks, now!"

Both of the squadmates complied, as they entered their respective tanks, as Zaka managed to get the Shamrock moving, although it seemed to be dry on ammunition, while the Edelweiss still had a few cannon rounds left, although it was taking some time to get it ignited, while the Imperial light tank rolled into the air, as it immediately used its MGs to target the foot-soldiers of the squad, forcing them into cover. When it did so, it immediately aimed its tank cannon at the Edelweiss, knocking it back and shocking the occupants of the Gallian tank, while Zaka immediately attempted to ram it.

"Sorry, Lieutenant, but I'm dry on cannon rounds here!" Zaka stated. "I'll buy you some time to get your Edelweiss running! Don't worry about me!"

"Zaka!" Welkin cried, as the Shamrock wrestled with the light-tank, crashing into the Imperial tank's side, pinning it to the cliff wall. "Is, ignite the Edelweiss, please! We can't let Zaka do this alone!"

"I'm trying, Welks!" Isara shouted. "But the maintenance on the Edelweiss was half-done! Igniting it immediately will cause major complications on the tank! I have to utilise time to slowly rousing the tank into ignition without causing these problems!"

"Is..." Welkin muttered, before he growled and slammed his fist onto the side of the tank. "Curse it all... Please, Zaka... Don't throw your life away...! We won't let a single squadmate die!"

Richard immediately looked at the Imperial light tank, where he was slumping against, as he watched as the Imperial light tank fired at the Shamrock, damaging it greatly, although it was still using its full force to pin the Imperial light tank.

"No... Zaka... Zaka...!" Richard coughed and wheezed, as the Shamrock was being heavily damaged by the Imperial light tank, before another shot destroyed most of its armour. "Don't do this, Zaka...! Isara still looks up to you. Don't throw your life away... Don't... Don't...!"

Richard slowly stood up, as Rosie was shocked that Richard still had the strength to stand, although his legs were shaking as if he was using most of his waned strength do so. As soon as he got up, a golden aura emanated from Richard, surprising her, and Gus, who saw it as well.

"I won't... I won't let you..." Richard muttered under his breath, as the blade and shield he was carrying on his back, resonated with his supernatural power, glowing brightly. "I won't let you... kill anyone... Squad 7... They're my comrades... They're my friends... They're the only people who accepted me... So I won't lose a single one of them. I won't..."

Suddenly, the golden aura exploded, as he immediately whipped out the shield and sword into his hands, as his hair and eyes turned golden.

"I WON'T! LET YOU!" Richard roared with unbound fury, as he immediately rushed at the Imperial light tank at a speed that astonished everyone in sight.

"What is that...?" Welkin remarked. "It looks much like when that Valkyria transformed... But Rain's a Darcsen... But could that mean...!?"

"Rain..." Isara muttered, half with awe, and half with worry.

"URRRAGGGGHHH!" Richard screamed loudly, as he leapt into the air towards the Imperial light tank, and rose the blade into the air.

"What is he trying to do...!?" Largo remarked. "The tank's armour is too thick to be cut open with a blade like this!"

As Richard came down, he swung his blade down with such ferocity, that the speed of the blade left a fleeting after-image of his blade, as he came down through the Imperial tank, the blow cleaving it cleanly into two, as the pieces immediately exploded in a violent manner, due to the ragnite reactor within the tank being sliced open as well, knocking the critically-damaged Shamrock away, and leaving everyone except Gus, Marisa, Sanae and Reisen, utterly shell-shocked and speechless.

"What... What is that!?" Rosie screeched. "What the hell did Rain just do before all of us!?"

"That power... So there was another power among the Darcsens as well...! Alicia remarked. "That's why it took the Valkyrias many years to subjugate the Darcsens, because within them are kinsmen with power to rival that of a Valkyria...!"

"Damn... And here I thought that Rain was already crazy enough, with how he's a more physically fit soldier than all of us!" Largo stated with awe. "I guess he's a Valkyria of some sorts, except its some sort of variations only for Darcsens...?"

"Rain... What is that power... And why are you the one to have it...?" Isara pondered.

"Well... I guess that many of the militia are going to literally pop their own eyes out, if I told them what I saw here..." Welkin chuckled awkwardly, trying to downplay the utter miracle that happened before him.

Richard immediately stepped out of the smoking wreck of the Imperial tank, as he was panting and huffing heavily, and looking like as if his lung wound wasn't affecting him at all. After a few moments, he immediately snapped towards the direction where the Imperial soldiers fled, before rushing down it.

"We have to chase him!" Welkin stated. "What happens if he suddenly loses this form! He could well possibly die if that form was attained at the cost of his life!"

"I'll go after him!" Gus stated, as he immediately ran down the path, as the rest of the officers and friends followed him from behind, as the Edelweiss followed soon after, having managed to ignite its engine and systems properly.

As the group went through, they heard the anguished cries of Richard, as well as the death cries of many Imperial soldiers, which were filled with terror and despair, as well the sounds of gunshots and explosions, indicating how intense the occurring battle was. When they managed to catch up to Richard, they found that the entire area was spattered with the blood of the Imperials, as their sliced and disembowelled corpses riddled the ground, as well as several smoking wrecks of the Imperial tanks. In the middle of the bloody carnage, was Richard, who was flat on the ground, with his blade and shield coated with both blood and oil, as well as on several places on his body.

"Urgh... This is...!" Rosie gagged, resisting the urge to retch, when she saw the horrific scene before her. "God... What made Rain do this...!?"

"I don't think that he even had control over his actions..." Sanae remarked, as she looked at the unresponsive Richard on the ground.

"Rain! Rain!" Marisa cried, as she rushed over to the fallen Richard, before grabbing Richard by the shoulders. "Come on, talk to me! You're just exhausted after all, right?"

Richard didn't respond, as his head slumped down towards her. Everyone immediately rushed up to Richard, as they were shocked to see Richard like this.

"No..." Alicia spoke with horror, with her hands on her mouth. "Rain can't possibly be..."

"I'll check for a pulse, move aside!" Reisen barked out, as everyone did so, Marisa placing Richard on the ground, flat on his back. She immediately started testing for a pulse on Richard's body, searching each and every spot for any signs of life, moving from one part to another, when she was met with a few moments of silence, as her expression became more and more worried, despite trying to hide the emotion. When she moved to Richard's jugular, and pressed her fingers on it, she managed to feel faintly Richard's pulse, which was weak and slow, but still present. "He's... He's alive...!"

Isara immediately exited the Edelweiss, parking it nearby, as she hugged Richard tightly to herself, with a relieved expression on her face.

"Thank god, oh thank god... Rain... I'm so glad that you didn't die... If you didn't... I won't be able to handle the guilt of being responsible for it...!" Isara wept, holding Richard tightly to her, as her tears leaked onto Richard's uniform.

Everyone immediately moved back to give Isara her space, as Fina immediately appeared, the very same medic who took care of Richard before, holding a medical supply kit in both of her hands.

"Where is he...?" Fina shouted to the group, before she found Richard being held by Isara, as she was afraid of what might have happened. "...Is he..."

"He's not dead." Reisen confirmed for Fina. "He's got a faint and weak pulse, so please... hurry and get him the medical treatment he needs."

"Right...!" Fina exclaimed with determination, before she immediately pulled out the portable stretcher and assembled it quickly. "Help me get him onto the stretcher. Welkin, if we could use the Edelweiss..."

"Go ahead. We'll place him into the Edelweiss, and make a return for Randgriz. It should be a few hours, right?" Welkin stated.

"I'll help." Rosie stated. "After all... I feel like I owe him for what he did for Isara. If it wasn't for him... It would have been Isara... And he still fought on... I feel like that I don't deserve to continue treating him and the other Darcsens like I did before. I feel like that I was the one in the wrong, for blindly hating them for something that they didn't have any involvement in..."

Rosie and Fina immediately placed Richard into the stretcher, before they moved him inside the Edelweiss, with the help of the others, as he and the stretcher was laid on the tank's floor, while Isara and Welkin started the tank up.

"Everyone... We're returning to Randgriz." Welkin solemnly stated.

* * *

_Two weeks after the Marberry Shore incident, back in Randgriz..._

"Let's begin the strategy meeting." Varrot stated, as Gus, Welkin, Faldio, and Isara immediately nodded back. "First off, I need to ask... Lieutenant, how is Squad 7's morale?"

"We're unsure. The casualty of one of our officers, Ensign Craider, has hurt our morale slightly. And yet our victory at Marberry Shore counteracted this morale drop, but to what degree, that is what we're trying to make clear." Welkin reported back. "Rain took sniper fire for my sister, Corporal Isara, and suffered a punctured lung. He is taken off the active roster until he has made considerable recovery, much like he has when he was disabled temporarily back in the Barious desert."

"Captain, if I may." Isara interjected politely. "I wanted to state that I am undeniably ever grateful towards Rain. He took the fatal shot that was meant for me. I wished that he would recover quickly, so that I could thank him for saving my life back there."

"Is that all, Corporal Isara?" Varrot asked her with a firm manner.

"...That is all I have to say. I just simply hope he recovers. He treats his squadmates like his own family, and everyone either respect him or like him." Isara responded back. "It would be a shame if he would be taken out of service, because there will be people who will miss him."

"I see." Varrot nodded. "I sent in a request to General Damon to allow a single operation and received full clearance for it. The operation is that the Gallian militia is to liberate a small border town called Bruhl."

Welkin, Isara and Gus reacted to this quite strongly, as Welkin and Isara were surprised, while Gus was quite moved at the fact that they and Alicia have the chance to retake their hometown from the Empire.

"The regiment will surround the area, while your squad enters and secures the plaza." Varrot continued to elaborate on the operation. "Any questions, Lieutenant?"

"...No, Captain." Welkin answered back, shaking his head.

"I'm taking temporary personal leave, but I wish you the best of luck out there." Faldio stated, before he left the briefing room.

"That concludes our meeting then. I look forward to good news from Bruhl. Dismissed." Varrot stated, before everyone left the room in order.

"So, Welkin, should we visit Rain...? I mean, it's been two weeks, and there has been good news recently about his recovery." Gus told Welkin.

"Yeah... I still can't believe it though... Rain has a power that is on par with that of a Valkyria..." Welkin muttered. "I don't know what would happen if such a thing was to be spread among the public, a Darcsen possessing the powers that are akin to that of a Valkyria... I dread to think of the results, so I had to make sure that everyone swore an oath of silence regarding this matter... And fortunately, there's enough trust between the squadmates to ensure that no-one would betray such a promise."

"I know... But still, if he has those powers, surely he'll recover faster than normal, right?" Gus noted, to try and cheer Welkin up. "I mean, if Alicia could heal from a bullet through her arm, then Richard could slowly heal that wound in his lung, after its been fixed up, right? I mean, he did have abnormally fast speed, like when he literally ran as fast as the Edelweiss at full speed back in Fouzen, and that he recovered from that leg fracture quite quickly to join the next operations."

"It sure is convenient... But I wonder what consequences must be paid for such a power in our disposal..." Welkin sighed.

* * *

_At the main hospital in Randgriz..._

Richard was waiting in the hospital bed, as his entire torso was wrapped in bandages, especially towards the right side of his chest, as there was a large scar from the surgery that he had, to re-inflate his right lung, and seal the bullet wounds on the lung itself. He slowly felt his way across the scar, as doing so give him a slightly painful sensation, although it felt more itchy than painful for him.

When he heard the door to his ward open, he immediately sat up, as Welkin, Alicia, Isara, Rosie, Largo, Zaka, and Richard's friends came into the room. Alicia was holding another set of flowers in her hands, for the flower pot on the side of Richard's bed.

"Oh, hello again you all." Richard stated. "Everyone's doing fine, without me?"

"Yeah." Welkin smiled back. "But we're waiting for you to come back and fight with us again. Vyse is literally being a drag when you left, because he doesn't have someone to compare against."

"Haha, good old Vyse." Richard chuckled, before he lightly coughed, as the laughter irritated his lung wound enough to do so. "Sorry, but I'm going to be stuck here for a while, Welkin. You just have to do without me. I mean, look at the others. Remy just needs a high point now, and she'll be your ever-vigilant sentry. And then there's Mari, who is daring enough to come face-to-face with a tank and not back down, even with how close she could get. And then there's Sally and Gus, who both have their own traits, as Gus could keep an good eye out for everyone, and Sanae is a walking ball of recovery for you all, with how much Ragnaid she's been carrying. I mean, sure, we rarely used it with how well your plans are, but she did manage to save Wavy and keep my wounds from worsening, right?"

"Man, for a injured soldier, you talk way too much, especially with a broken lung." Largo moaned.

"Can't help it. Just making my point, Largo." Richard smirked, before he turned to Isara. "Isara... Have you and Rosie finally gotten along?"

"Yes, Rain. She and I are much better than we were before. She sang to me, like she promised, and she also promised that she would sing more often for the squad." Isara responded back, as Richard looked at Rosie, who was looking quite shy about having her deeds told. "And by the way, I think that Mari is feeling better towards Rosie as well, since Rosie has managed to change her ways."

"Well, it's more that I owe her for getting you out of the combat zone." Marisa corrected. "But still, although I'm still quite sore about what she done in the past, I'm willing to overlook that, and just enjoy having her as someone I don't actually hate, now that she's a better person now."

"Heh heh, I'm glad that it is so." Richard smiled. "By the way, Rosie... What was the song that you sung for Isara? I would like to hear it as well."

"Really? You want to hear my singing?" Rosie asked Richard.

"Well, if Isara said that she believed your singing is great, and you kept your promise, I think that whatever song you have in mind couldn't be that bad." Richard stated, before he then adopted a pleading tone of voice. "And come on, sing for a dark-haired hospital patient, please~?"

Marisa laughed at Richard's mock cutesy tone, as Rosie was slightly taken back by what Richard's tone, as she scowled a little at Marisa, before then sighing.

"Alright, then listen closely, because I'm sure that you'll be crying when you hear this one." Rosie stated, before she then cleared her throat, and took a deep breath to begin singing the song.

_You start always smiling,_

_Every quiet, ever tender._

_And I, a lost child,_

_Always frightened, I remember,_

_That you came and found me,_

_Blinded by unshed tears._

_The tears we cried are echoes,_

_That tell what tomorrow will hold._

_And I wept,_

_In your arms._

_And I heard,_

_Bells ring out across the land,_

_Bringing peace at last._

_To your heart,my dearest friend._

_And now, the love that you gave me,_

_Blooms and will live on,_

_Through the tears in us all,_

_Without end._

When Rosie finished her song, Isara wiped a tear from her cheek, as the others gave applause to Rosie, who bowed curtly in response. Richard himself, was utterly moved, as his head was bowed down, as he began to sob and weep, as he placed his hands together and clapped them slowly in applause at Rosie,as he lifted his crying eyes to Rosie.

"That... That was utterly beautiful... When I hear that song and your voice, Rosie... I couldn't help but cry without restraint..." Richard whimpered, as he sniffled and sobbed a few times. "When you sung, it reminded me of my own mother, who often sung me lullabies to sleep... I felt like for a moment, I was back with my family..."

"Woah... You're actually crying...?" Rosie asked with awe, before she then knocked on the back of her head by Marisa, as she clutched the back of her head in pain.

"Rosie... No, Bridgette Stark... Thank you... Thank you for bringing me a moment of happy memories back into my life." Richard sniffled, as he smiled as well as he could, while still crying. "May I hug you, please...?"

"Yeah, why not...?" Rosie asked. "You deserve it after everything you had to deal with. I guess that it was due some time later, right...?"

Rosie then walked over, as Richard immediately threw her arms around her, and sobbed and wailed into her, as the others watched as Rosie comforted Richard, patting his head soothingly like a caring mother, as she whispered to him silently with a calm and caring tone, until Richard slowly went into a few dry hiccups and sniffs, as the front of Rosie's uniform was wet with his tears and snot.

As soon as both of them separated, Richard immediately took a tissue to blow his own nose out, and then taking another to wipe the tears and moisture off his face, his eyes slightly raw from the long moment of crying.

"So... I take it that there's no operation for you yet, Welkin?" Richard asked Welkin, as he slowly calmed down.

"Quite on the contrary. But it's actually good news for me, Isara and Alicia." Welkin stated. "We're going to be taking back Bruhl."

"Really?" Richard asked with surprise. "I should be proud for the fact that you have the chance to regain the hometown you have lost. I'm sure that Martha's son will be able to live a proper life when you guys take it back. And just one more thing, Welkin..."

"Yes, Rain...?" Welkin asked, before Richard sat up, and put out a thumbs up with a serious expression.

"Promise that even after the war, you guys will stay as you were, and that you will always be what you wanted to be." Richard told him.

Welkin was surprised by the sudden change in Richard, although he was happy that Richard still cared about them, even when he was hospitalised.

"Yeah, I promise you, I'll make sure everyone will be happy." Welkin responded back, placing a hand on Richard's shoulder.

"Glad to hear that. Now then..." Richard stated, before he then pointed outwards, as he adopted a bold tone. "Onwards to victory, Lieutenant Gunther! Take back the land that is rightfully yours, and bring back the peaceful life that many have desired!"

"Aye aye." Welkin chuckled, as he did a quick salute, before everyone left the room, while Sanae gave Richard a playful wink, before turning away, as the door to the ward closed, and Richard was alone in the ward again, as he looked up the ceiling and sighed.

"Well, I'm glad that's one thing dealt with." Richard stated. "I'm truly glad that I managed to save Isara. Didn't expect that I'd have to take the shot myself, if I want to change fate, but still... It's better than having to watch her die without any control over it. Now then..."

Richard then immediately snapped his fingers, as a sukima appeared, and he pulled out another blueprint manufactured specifically for one of his friends, as it was a rifle that is meant to house anti-armour rounds in it.

"I wonder how Gus will react, when he gets a rifle powerful enough to bring down tanks, fufufu..." Richard chuckled deviously.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Retaking Bruhl and The Beginning of the Decisive Battle

Response to reviews:

-Nope, very unlikely, since this is not VC2. And no, Richard or 'Rain' wouldn't have Gilbert shot at all, since he's still loyal to Gallia for the moment. Besides, you'll see that the rebels are going to get themselves ruined, advantage or no, once the next generation of Gallian soldiers, trained by literal super-humans, comes to deal with them, when the story comes out in the next volume.

-Well, Richard knows how cruel mercy is with some people, and he knows how to make Geld suffer using it.

-Yeah, Richard and the others are definitely going to pound the lesson of checking perimeter into the others, since it was the canonical reason that Isara even died in the first place, and that it's soldier basics to do so, and requires even double-checking at certain periods.

* * *

_In the outskirts of Bruhl..._

"We're back... " Welkin remarked, gazing at the damaged town of Bruhl in the distance, on top of the Edelweiss. "Back where it all started, back where we met on that fateful day..."

"Now... All but one of us is back, to retake this town..." Alicia stated with a sorrowful tone, as she was beside Welkin atop the tank. "I wonder what Rain would do in these circumstances..."

"Captain Varrot said she specifically requested this operation from General Damon." Welkin responded back.

"She said that?" Alicia asked with some surprise.

"Yes. You know how she feels about him. But she still begged for him to give us the mission for Bruhl." Welkin answered back. "She wanted us to remember why we're fighting, or perhaps..."

Alicia was silent, as she thought back to the scene of Richard tearing the Imperial remnants in that golden-clad form of his, as blood was split in rivers around him, and not a single one of the enemy soldiers was spared from death, as Welkin noted the unease in her expression.

"For right now, let's stop thinking and just move forward." Welkin told her. "Let's take back our home, so that we can bring Rain the good news of us liberating our hometown."

Isara then came out of the tank, as she faced Welkin. "Welks, everyone is prepared for the mission." She reported back to Welkin. "We're waiting on your signal to start marching."

"Right... We're taking back our home, Is! Alicia!" Welkin shouted, before he then pointed towards Bruhl. "Squad 7, begin the operation!"

He then entered the Edelweiss, as everyone on active deployment, immediately prepared for battle, as both the Edelweiss and Shamrock made their way towards the town, to retake it.

Deployed Members: Edelweiss, Shamrock, Rosie, Alicia, Largo, Vyse, Mari, Remy, Sally, Gus

* * *

_Inside the town centre..._

As the squad rolled their way in, they stopped at the rally point, prepared themselves for battle, as Isara and Welkin regarded the tattered and familiar streets around them.

"Welks... We're really back home, aren't we...?" Is stated, with a slightly tearful tone in her voice. "We're finally back here to save our hometown!"

"I'm glad that the Captain gave us this mission, Is. We're going to keep our promise to Martha's son, to bring him back to the hometown he was born in." Welkin stated, before then turning on squad comms. "Okay then, let's begin! Everybody, watch out for enemy snipers!"

"I'll initiate counter-sniping, when they are spotted, so make sure to tell me where they are. If there are many of them here, then I should at least pick off a few of them, to ensure the way forward is safe." Reisen stated.

"Understood, Remy." Welkin stated, before he then thought carefully about the plan of attack. "Hrm... It seems that this time, we're on the offensive, as compared to the defensive last time... If I were the Imperials back then, how would I have thought... Ah ha! Lancers, take out the enemy tank on the left path, and stormtroopers, take out the Imperial soldiers on the right path!"

Everyone shouted out in compliance, as they immediately made their way through the battlefield, as Vyse carried the Victorie in both of his hands, as he immediately took the moment to gun down a Imperial trooper elite in the way, before they could retaliate.

"Haha, eat some of this!" Vyse bragged, before he then moved his gun up to take out a enemy sniper on one of the rooftops, causing the dead sniper to fall right out of sight. "Man, I feel awesome holding this thing in my hands!"

"Wait, where did you get that gun from? I thought it was supposed to be the one that Rain uses?" Rosie asked.

"Of course, but he left the gun for me to use, with a note stating that he's lending it to me and only me." Vyse responded back with a smug expression. "But still, I finally know why he left me those tips on how to handle this beast of a weapon. Just firing it this much pushes it against my shoulder hard from the backwards recoil it's giving off!"

"Oh..." Rosie stated, as she didn't want to pry further to the reason why Richard left his gun to Vyse to use for the operation. "Well, you better not slack off. That thing is meant to help you, not act like a crutch."

"Don't you worry! I'm going to make the most of my time using this!" Vyse exclaimed with excitement, as he vaulted over his cover, and ran forward, firing the Victoire at the enemy sniper above him in the distance. "Yeehaw! Come and see what Uncle Vyse can do with his big friend!"

"Zaka, please fire off a mortar at the enemy behind cover." Welkin ordered Zaka.

"Will do." Zaka simply responded back, before the Shamrock fired a mortar shell that cleared out the enemies in front of it clearing the path in front. "Next, we'll use the smoke round to keep the tank from firing at us. Is?"

"Right away, Welks!" Isara shouted back, as the Edelweiss fired a smoke round that popped right in front of the Imperial tank, rendering it unable to see the Gallian units on the other side, as it was left unable to act, as Marisa and Largo entered the smoke cloud, and took cover, waiting for any other Imperial movement around them to occur.

Reisen immediately moved up, as she use the height from the right path to get a better look of the enemies, before she noticed that there was a Imperial sniper who was aiming towards Vyse, who took cover, avoiding enemy fire coming his way. She immediately rose her Tornerre and dispatched the sniper quickly, before she then immediately snapped over to take out one of the enemies suppressing Vyse, as he immediately gave her a thumbs-up for the support.

After laying down a few moments of suppression fire, they immediately stopped to charge towards the front, as they kept on firing. Vyse immediately gripped the Victoire tightly, firing the gun blindly, as the gun rattled in his grip, without something to support its back, as it managed to take down one of the advancing soldiers and wound the others, as the other Gallian squad members moved into the fray, and finished the job for Vyse.

As the Squad 7 members waited, the smoke cloud dispersed around Marisa and Largo, as the Edelweiss fired another smoke round in time, this time over the Imperial tank itself. Smiling at how the opportunity of ambushing the Imperial tank from behind appeared, Marisa immediately rushed into the smoke cloud, before the smoke cloud dispersed from a explosion, revealing a triumphant Marisa standing near the wreck of the Imperial tank.

"Score one more for me!" Marisa cheered.

Vyse then noticed the side path, which was blocked by a wooden barricade, as he immediately turned on the comms to speak. "Hey, found another way around. It's blocked, but I think that we can use it to sneak on the enemy. Mind if any of you could blow up that obstruction, please?"

"Already working on it." Zaka responded back, as he moved the Shamrock towards the barricade, before blowing it up with a mortar shell.

"Cheers." Vyse smiled, as he rushed into the side-path, accompanied by Sanae, who was preparing her ragna-aid, in case Vyse would be wounded from the resulting cross-fire, and Reisen, who noted that there was a sniper tower for her to use. As soon as Vyse came around the bend sprinting, he immediately laughed and fired off the Victoire at the base defender nearby, mowing them down, as Sanae claimed the base for the squad, while Reisen immediately wasted no time climbing atop the sniper tower, allowing her clear sight of all the Imperial units present in the area. Noticing another sniper hiding in a part of the wind-mill wreckage, she took them out.

As the Edelweiss advanced, it was attacked by several cannon shots, originating from the artillery cannons erected around the area. However, one of them was immediately taken out, when Vyse spotted it, attacking from behind. When Sanae moved as well, she noticed some landmines in the path.

"Oh my, landmines once again. Been a while since I seen them..." Sanae remarked, before she immediately pulled out the disarming tools, and worked on the landmines in front of her.

The squad advanced again, as the Edelweiss took out the other artillery cannon, clearing the area of any non-infantry threats. As soon as the last cannon was destroyed, both tanks immediately moved forward, as the rest of the group used them as mobile cover, pressing towards the remaining soldiers and finishing them off, and allowing the final Imperial stronghold in the town to fall at last.

"We... We done it, Welks... We took back... our hometown!" Isara spoke with relief in her voice.

"It's ours, Is... Home is finally home again for us and Alicia..." Welkin smiled back. "And we all managed to live to this moment... Rain... I'm sure that you would be proud of me for what I have done here... Everyone, search the town for any Imperial presence. We need to be absolutely sure that the town has been liberated completely."

"Right, on it." Largo stated, as the squad members immediately dispersed into small teams, searching the area for Imperials.

* * *

_A few moments after the liberation operation is over..._

Welkin walked his way towards the windmill, where he, Alicia, Richard and his friends met for the first time, and sparked their own ambition to fight for Gallia, and become the upstanding and powerful Squad 7. When he recalled at the moment that Richard raised his own weapon to protect civilians, he immediately smiled at how far they came from that moment.

"Well, that's it, Welkin. No signs of the enemy here either." Alicia stated, as she walked up to him. "I searched all over, and everyone else said the same. Looks like they're really cleared out of Bruhl."

"That's good. We've finally recovered possession of our old homestead." Welkin responded back.

"Yeah... I'm sure that Rain would be right here, to tell us that although we've taken the town back, we'd still have a long way to go until the town is back to what it is." Alicia frowned. "I mean, look at it, Empty of the people who lived here, and the town mill just barely standing. I can't even go into detail of what happened at those moments..."

Welkin turned to Alicia with a sympathetic expression, before placing an hand on her shoulder in comfort, before he then noticed that there was something on the ground that intrigued him, before he pointed at it. "Look at that!"

Welkin immediately moved over to where the object of interest was, as Alicia turned and followed him slowly. He slowly bent down and saw the lion's paw plant that seemed to be on the same spot that Alicia scattered the seeds for it on.

"Welkin? What is it? What do you see?" Alicia asked with curiosity.

"Look. A lion's paw." Welkin stated, as he smiled.

"Ah... Is it... the same one that I..." Alicia muttered with shock.

"Mm hmm. It's the same flower that you planted that day, when we first met each other." Welkin stated. "It's been a while since then, right? It took root and grew in this soil, and now it's flourishing quite beautifully. Remember what you said then? That there's more going on in this world than just people killing people. There are new lives all around. New things being born, even in the middle of war."

"I was right... And if we ever forget about that... then we won't be able to fight as we did, because we fight so that our descendants can live in a world of peace, where people can live with each other in harmony..." Alicia remarked. "Once this war's over and we come home, we'll just have to rebuild it. We'll rebuild all of it, every last building.

"Yes we will. And we'll show Martha's little boy, we'll show him the town where he was born, back when it was prosperous and happy." Welkin responded back.

"Yeah..." Alicia stated, before they both left the area, as Gus immediately came up to them.

"Welkin? Alicia? What are you two doing so far from the town...?" Gus asked them.

"We just wanted to return to the place where we first met..." Welkin stated. "We found something that reminded us of the reason we fought. The goal that everyone in our squad has fought for..."

"I'm glad to hear that." Gus stated with a warm smile. "I can only wish you two good luck and prosperity. You are more close to us than what we can admit, and so, we hope that you would keep on fighting alongside us."

"We will." Welkin nodded, before the three left the area.

* * *

_A few weeks after the retaking of Bruhl, in the commander's tent..._

"Sorry I'm late." Welkin stated, as every officer of the squad, and Gus's group were inside, waiting for him.

"We deploying?" Largo asked calmly.

"We're still on standby for the moment. I'm figuring we'll get the order to move out a bit past noon." Welkin stated.

"All set and waiting for the word. But it sure looks like the enemy's got us in numbers." Zaka responded back.

"But that won't matter. Everyone is ready for battle, no matter what the odds are." Gus added with a determined tone.

"They do. The invading front's nearly all there. This one is going to be a major battle." Welkin answered back.

"I've made my peace with it and all, but seeing them all lined up out there... is heavy..." Rosie grumbled with a worried look on her face.

"Don't be afraid like that. We have managed to do quite a lot of feats, as a squad under the militia regiment." Reisen assured Rosie. "Do you forget that we have not suffered a single casualty in the war, with the exception of Rain from Marberry Shore."

"Yeah, but still doesn't mean we're invincible." Rosie sighed, before she mustered her courage. "But still, we're not going to back down from this without one hell of a fight though."

"Guys, can I say something?" Alicia asked everyone in the tent timidly.

"Yeah, Alicia?" Sanae asked her.

"Um, I grew up in an orphanage. I don't have a family, and I always thought I was alone." Alicia continued. "But Welkin and Rain showed me that I was wrong. And so have all of you... That's because I wasn't alone at all... Not anymore... The 7's are... You guys are my family now."

"The squad's your family?" Largo asked.

"Damn right we are! We're battle-forged sisters!" Marisa heartily laughed, as she pulled Alicia closer to her with an arm. "Anyone messes with you, they'll have to get through all of us!"

"Uh, thank you, Mari...?" Alicia replied back with a awkward tone, before she wriggled out of Marisa's grip. "Before a big battle like this... it's scary. I figure I feel just like all of you do. But when I think I'm here alongside my 'family', I feel strong enough to fight it."

"Family, huh...?" Largo muttered. "My old folks are gone, and I got no siblings. But, I bet this is what it's like to have any. Course, any siblings of mine would have grown up a lot better acting than you lot!"

"Sounds odd to say it, but... you're right. I guess that I could be your big sister, much like I am to those younger than myself in this squad. Hell, I even have to nurture some older than me at times!" Rosie remarked.

"I'm sure that Rain would tell you that he feels the same as you, Alicia. The two of you deserve a happy life with people who care about you." Isara added. "And although you may have spent time without your loved ones, you can find some within all of us."

"Did somebody mention me?" Richard's voice was heard, as everyone turned around to see Richard in front of them, completely recovered, and wearing the Gallian stormtrooper combat suit on himself. "Well, I told you that I'd be back to fight again, didn't I?"

"Rain!" Welkin exclaimed with relief and surprise.

"Rain!" Gus, Reisen, Sanae and Marisa shouted at the same time afterwards.

"How did you manage to come to here!?" Rosie asked. "Last I heard, you were still in the hospital at Randgriz!"

"Not anymore." Richard chuckled, as he produced a piece of paper, that denoted his official discharge from the hospital, with a clean bill of health, dictated by Captain Varrot herself. "Turns out our Captain prepared a ride for me, just in case I make it back here before the battle begins. I almost missed it, but still... Here I am, all of you! Rain Craider, back in action to serve Squad 7 once again! No need to worry about me taking a shot to the lungs again!"

"Damn, you sure one tough kid..." Largo remarked with a smile on his lips. "Alright, since our remaining officer is back in action, let's go and do this."

"Yeah, let's go and put holes in those tanks." Zaka agreed.

"Alright, then let's all come back here together. We won't let anyone of us die in this great battle." Alicia smiled as well.

"We'll get through this fight and see Gallia free again on the other side." Welkin stated with a clenched fist and a determined voice. "Alright, everyone prepare for deployment."

Isara then made her way to Richard, as she hugged him gently. "I'm glad that you're here..." Isara smiled. "I hope that something like this never happens to someone as caring and selfless as you..."

"Don't worry. I won't be going anywhere." Richard assured Isara, patting her head gently. "Thank you for believing in me, Isara, as well."

Isara then released her hug, before she joined Welkin in leaving, as Richard then pulled out a rifle from his backpack, as it seemed to be like the standard-issue Gallian rifle, except it had a large and wide barrel, and the rifle seemed to be made of reinforced material, and there was a small ring-shaped iron-sight on top of the end of the barrel.

"What is this...?" Gus asked, before the structure of the weapon reminded him of something. "Wait, could it be...!?"

"Yep, it's your own weapon, Gus." Richard nodded, before he lobbed the rifle to Gus, who caught it securely in both hands. "This thing has just been produced for you. An anti-tank rifle for you. Now you can use it to take down both armour and infantry. Except it'd be overkill for the latter, the accuracy on it is still a little wonky, although its an improvement thank to the same stuff that helped the Victoire's aim. Either way, this uses special ammunition, so don't use it too much, alright? Take this."

Richard then threw a few magazines of ammo for the weapon, which Gus caught and pocketed into his own ammo pouches.

"Now then, let's rock this joint hard, alright? With these weapons, and the teamwork of Squad 7, even the Valkyria, Selvaria is going to trembled before our might as a squad!" Richard exclaimed. "Let's move out and help our allies win this battle!"

Everyone else shouted in cheer, before they immediately rushed out of the tent to prepare, while Richard pulled out a small dagger that he hidden inside the bottom of one of his pouches, as he glared at the reflection of himself, from the reflective silver surface of the blade, as he seemed to be serious.

"Well then... Selvaria..." Richard stated, before he clenched the dagger in his hands tightly, and then sheathing it inside his uniform. "Last time, I wasn't fighting with all I had. But this time... You're going to face someone at your level."

Team A: Rosie, Oscar, Alicia, Vyse

Team B: Rain, Sally, Gus, Remy,

* * *

_In the battlefields of Naggiar..._

"This is Lieutenant Welkin of Squad 7." Welkin reported through the communicators on everyone. "What is everyone's status so far?"

"Team A is fine and ready for combat, Welkin." Rosie responded back.

"Team B, at the ready, Welkin." Richard answered back as well.

"Good, standby for your orders." Welkin stated.

"Well, here we are, I guess. That enemy camp on the other side looks awfully well-protected." Alicia remarked, looking at the far side with her binoculars.

"This one's going to come down to slipping past the enemy fire and into their lines." Welkin commented as well, with a slightly worried tone. "I just simply hope that we don't suffer causalities from the off-site long-range rocket bombardment. The teams will have to spend most of their time in trenches, in order to avoid being caught in the blast radius of each bombardment."

"Lieutenant Gunther!" Varrot shouted. "That Valkyria from Barious has been sighted here as well! The eastern from is suffering from debilitating losses to her, as we speak!"

"Are you serious...!?" Welkin exclaimed.

"It's possible she'll head this way before much longer. Keep your eyes open, and finish your mission quickly!" Varrot responded back, before cutting comms with the squad.

"Great, just our luck... We barely handed her back in Barious. I really didn't want to have a redo of the entire event here..." Rosie cursed under her breath.

Richard didn't say anything, as his eyes drifted to the dagger hidden in his uniform, before he then looked back towards the battlefield in front of him.

"Welks! I'm detecting a rocket launch coming towards the area!" Isara warned everyone. "We will have to make them advance into the next set of trenches, or hunker down! ETA... 2 minutes!"

"Alright, then we can't afford to waste time. Both teams, advance quickly, but don't hesitate to retreat back into the trenches if you are in danger!" Welkin ordered.

"Will do." Richard called back, before he then turned to Reisen, and pointed at the sniper tower nearby, gesturing for her to take it without a single word. She did so, as she prepared the Tornerre and kept her eyes open for any Imperial soldier who would pop their heads or themselves out of the large network of trenches ahead, ensuring that she could end them with a single shot, if they tried to advance above the trenches.

Richard then gestured for Gus and Sanae to follow him, as they climbed onto the nearby ladder, which allowed them to get into the first line of Imperial-occupied trenches. Richard jumped down, and immediately took out the sole Imperial scout that was in front of them, before they slowly proceeded across the trenches, with each of them covering the backs of the rest.

Rosie then took the moment to start advancing, as her team followed her across the trench, as they engaged a sole Imperial soldier who was trying to get to them, and moving to the front-most part of their trenches, before waiting, slowly moving onto the ground prone, to avoid the rocket-fire coming their way.

Reisen kept her eyes on the Imperials, each and every one of them, noting that there were cannon bunkers scattered on the Imperial vanguard, and quite a few Imperial soldiers holed up in the trenches. When she heard a increasingly louder whistling noise coming her way, she directed her sight upward, where she saw the long-range rockets fly down towards the area.

Richard immediately pulled Gus and Sanae down, as the rocket impacted with the flat ground of the battlefield, as it washed the entire area with a sea of flames. Everyone could distinctly feel the warmth of the flames rushing over them, as Reisen got a bit of heat herself, despite her elevated position. Even above-ground, she is unharmed, as she was just out of the effective range of the rockets, ensuring that she was safe from the bombardment, and allowing her to keep an eye on the Imperials undisturbed.

As soon as the flames dispersed, both teams of Squad 7 charged the enemy, as Richard fired his Victoire with a war cry, as his barrage of bullets took down several soldiers not fast enough to evade his gunfire, and forcing the others to cower under the trenches. When Gus used the new rifle in his hand for the first time, a loud ringing shot was heard, as the powerful shot literally blew a Imperial's head into a bloody mess in impact, surprising both Gus and Sanae, but causing Richard to smirk savagely at the brutality of Gus's own weapon.

Rosie herself already made significant progress on her advance, as she managed to sprint through enemy gun-fire to charge them, as she and her team took out several more Imperial soldeirs, and claimed one of the enemy camps, as they immediately hunkered down behind cover, ready for any Imperials who might try to counterattack.

Reisen herself took the chance to pick off any exposed Imperial soldiers one by one, as they died without realising where the fatal shot came from, well out of the sight range of any standard soldier.

Another set of rockets was fired onto the area, as the area was engulfed in flames once more, forcing all combatants in the trench to keep their heads down, although Richard and his friends slowly advanced while the flames were still burning, in a attempt to ensure that they would be closer to the enemy. When it did so, they got back up and continued their run through the Imperial trenches, gunning down the Imperials mercilessly, and taking out the cannon bunker on their side.

When both teams met up in the centre of the trenches, they immediately launched a joint assault on the remaining Imperial camp in the trenches, crushing the defenders with little ease. Once they occupied the camp, Rosie found the communication device that the soldiers were using to call in the rocket salvos, as she immediately blew it up with a few rounds from her sub-machine gun.

"Hey, we've dealt with your problem, Welkin." Rosie told Welkin.

"Good, that should mean that they can't call in any more rocket salvos, right?" Welkin replied back. "Alright, Shamrock, Edelweiss, it's time to deploy."

"Right with you, boss." Zaka responded back, as both the Edelweiss and Shamrock appeared right in the middle of both sets of trenches, as it immediately turned around to look at the last Imperial camp in the area, which would be the last thing stopping them from forcing an Imperial retreat from the area.

Isara then felt a cold sensation run down her spine, as if she sensed something she dreaded, before she then moved over to the periscope, and turned it around to find the source. When she did find it, she was terrified at what she saw, letting out a cry of fear.

"Is?" Welkin asked. "What's wrong...?"

"The Valkyria... She's here...!" Isara exclaimed, as the very thing that caused Isara to react so fearfully, was Selvaria, approaching the area as well, bearing her lance and shield, and the blue glowing and menacing aura of the Valkyira around her.

"Ah, so here you are... How have you been since Barious?" Selvaria remarked with a icy tone.

"Oh no, the Valkyria's already here!" Welkin shouted.

"Heh heh... I need to pay you back for that defeat, Lieutenant Welkin. And your friend, Rain." Selvaria growled back. "And I'll start with your camp!"

She then immediately fired her beam lance at the Edelweiss, although it missed it entirely, surprising both Isara and Welkin.

"Where was she aiming-" Welkin was about to say, before they heard a explosion that filled them with dread, for the beam lance struck a Gallian army tank that was following behind the group, as if trying to support the squad, or attempt fighting the Valkyira in a suicidal act. "...Is this what that woman's capable of? If we're hit by that, it's all over for us! Everyone, race to the enemy main camp, before the Valkyria takes our own! We can't confront her directly without the risk of causalities right now. If we can rout the Imperial forces, the Valkyria will be forced to fall back as well. This has become a race to see whose main camp falls first... Shamrock and I will delay the Valkyria with tank rounds. Now go!"

"Roger that! You better not get yourself killed by that Imperial witch!" Rosie shouted back, before she then gestured for the rest of her squad to follow her. "Go go go!"

Gus and Sanae did the same, as they followed after Rosie, until they saw that Richard wasn't moving, instead looking towards where Selvaria was.

"Rain.. What are you doing!? We need your help to get the enemy base camp captured!" Gus shouted to Richard.

Richard turned to Gus slowly, before he shook his head slowly. "Sorry, Gus. But I'm not leaving Welkin to fight the Valkyria alone." Richard stated. "You and Sally support Rosie and the others. I have a Valkyria to deal with."

"Rain, I swear this is NOT the time to be trying to be a hero now!" Gus shouted back. "You just recently healed from being shot through the lung! You won't be strong enough to face her in your current state!"

"Maybe not, but I have something I can rely on." Richard stated, before he pulled out the hidden dagger he was carrying. "I will reawaken this power of mine, and clash with the Valkyria."

"Rain, don't you dare-!" Gus roared with anger, before Richard immediately sprinted towards Selvaria, as Gus literally fumed and growled. "Goddamnit, Rain! Why do you always have to do these kinds of things when you're in a dire situation yourself? I swear... I really don't know how to deal with you anymore... I really can't deal with you..."

He then sighed deeply, and then followed Rosie and the others, while Richard made his way out of the trenches, rushing towards Selvaria, who was slowly making her way towards Reisen and the Gallian base camp. The former was trying to slow the Valkyria down, although even with the rapid-fire of her sniper rifle, she can't get past the shield.

Selvaria kept on marching forward, before she barely managed to block a tank cannon round fired directly at her, as it stunned her momentarily, coming from the Edelweiss, who was hiding in one of the area's dips, using it as cover from Selvaria, who snarled back, and fired her beam lance at the Gallian tank, only for it to hit the ground instead, as her glowing aura turned purple for a moment.

"Damn you...!" Selvaria cursed, before she then concentrated her energy into herself, before reigniting her Valkyria aura, turning it into a clear blue colour once again. "You won't be able to stop me with mere distractions like this!"

"No, but I know a way that I can stop you, Selvaria." Richard responded back, as she turned around to see Richard, clutching the dagger in one hand, and a serious look in his eyes. "Hello again, Selvaria. Turns out you're not the one who wants payback from the Barious Desert incident, doesn't it?"

"What can you do against me with a cheaply-forged dagger in your hands?" Selvaria mocked, pointing her Valkyria lance at Richard. "I still haven't forgotten about you, Rain. In fact, I'm quite content that you are here, because I will personally end you for delaying me from saving my lord from then!"

"Guess what, Selvaria." Richard retorted back, before he then flipped the dagger around, so that the blade was pointing towards himself. "That's makes two. I'm itching for a rematch against you, but this time, I've got something to even the playing field. Something that you have hinted upon, but have never truly realised."

"What... What are you-" Selvaria stated, before she then realised what Richard was trying to do, as it seemed like she was aware of the procedure. "This... You can't possibly have...!"

"Welks! Look! It's Rain! And he's got a dagger... pointed at himself..." Isara stated, before she then began to regret what she was saying, when she got a closer look of what Richard was doing. "...Oh no..."

"What is he trying to do...!?" Welkin exclaimed. "I have no idea what he's planning to do with that dagger aimed at himself! There has to be a logical explanation for why Rain had this dagger with him. How have I not realised he was holding it all the time...? What is his goal here...?"

"You'll see that you're not the only one who is blessed with almighty powers, Selvaria." Richard smirked back. "I just recently found this out, and I'm going to put it to use, no matter what it will cost me, blood... or LIFE!"

Richard then plunged the dagger into his stomach, almost completely, as he began to fall onto his knees, holding the hilt of the dagger with both of his hands, which were shaking from the immense pain he was felt, as he growled and cried, while he slowly withdrew the dagger from his body, as the golden aura from before, began to appear around his body, as he turned back into the supernatural being that Squad 7 bore witness to, back in Marberry Shore. The stab wound on Richard's stomach slowly healed, as if he was willing it so, while his teeth was grit, as he was huffing and panting, as if awakening him had cost him a lot of energy and stamina. He slowly stood up, before pulling out the now-golden weapons in his arms.

"Selvaria... Valkyria of the Empire... Your opponent is no longer the Gallian elites of Squad 7... But me, Rain Craider, descendant of the Darcsens, and protector!" Richard stated with a bold tone. "Today, you will face the might of a Darcsen warrior, who will use his full power to defend the lives he is entrusted and the country he is indebted to! Prepare yourself, for today, the great battle between Valkyria and Darcsen shall revive once more in these modern days!"

Selvaria was absolutely stunned at the sudden transition of events, as she did not know how to react to Richard's statement, as she was left unable to comprehend how Richard managed to attain a form similar a Valkyria awakening. However, all she knew, is that Richard seems much more threatening and dangerous than he was before, and she was even more inclined to put down Richard once and for all, now that he has attained a power that could possibly match her own.

She immediately drew her Valkyrian lance, before she darted at Richard with a roar, only for her lance to be stopped at the tip by Richard's shield, as he stood there calmly, budging not a single inch to her, despite her putting a lot of effort into the attack. He looked at Selvaria intensely, before he then immediately forced Selvaria back with a shield thrust, sending her flying back a few feet.

When she regained her footing, she lost sight of Richard, as he wasn't where he was before. However, she knew that Richard wasn't gone at all, as she began to feel his imposing presence in the area, getting closer and closer to her, as she could see Richard literally moving in and out of her line of sight, leaving her unable to determine the direction of the attack. She braced her shield in front of her, expecting his attack to come, only to find herself being smashed on the back by his shield, causing her to be knocked forward, onto the ground.

She immediately rolled over, to avoid Richard's downward strike, as she swung the lance in her hand to drive Richard away, before he side-stepped from the lance, giving her enough space to get back up, while she held her lance and shield more tightly than before, as she felt pressure from Richard's own aura.

"How... How could someone like you possess such power...?" Selvaria asked him.

"I don't know how I got it, but that doesn't matter to me." Richard answered back, as his eyes burned with fiery spirit. "All that matters is that I have the power to stop you where you stand, Selvaria. And I will use everything I have to do that, because I am someone who is loved by a country that isn't even mine, and someone who has been given a second chance in life by this squad. I refuse to let you take all of this away from me. And that very same determination is what drives me to fight. Tell me, Selvaria. What is your reason to fight...?"

"Reason to fight...?" Selvaria repeated, before she felt immense rage towards Richard, as it caused some of her repressed memories of sorrow and despair to resurface. "...You don't deserve to know, you warmonger scum!"

Selvaria then furiously swung her lance at Richard, who used both blade and shield to block and parry her attacks, as they were forced into a clash that progressed in the favour of neither combatant. The occupants of both the Edelweiss and Shamrock could only watch in silence at the duel between two soldiers blessed with inhuman power.

Meanwhile, Rosie and the other soldiers marched up to the base camp, as Rosie gunned down one of the soldiers, before she immediately ducked back down into cover, to avoid the Imperial light tank's machine gun firing at her.

"Damn, I never expected that we would have a tank right here!" Rosie exclaimed with anger. "We'll have to find a way to shoot that damn radiator, or at least bomb it so that we can get rid of this damn metallic nuisance immediately!"

Gus listened to what Rosie said, as he immediately moved around the camp, as the others took down the Imperial soldiers, although they were being pinned down by the Imperial tank firing at them. He slowly moved around the corner, before lining up his rifle with the exposed radiator plates of the Imperial tank, as it hadn't noticed him behind it.

Gus took a deep breath, as he placed the rifle against his shoulder, slowly lining up the sights of the gun with the radiator plates, before he then braced himself as well. Pulling the trigger, he was hit by a large recoil from the rifle, as it fired off anti-armour rounds with each shot, as they collided with the weak-point of the tank, and damaged it enough to completely cause a explosion that levelled the tank itself, much to the shock of everyone else.

"What the...!?" Vyse exclaimed. "Did that tank just blow itself up? We didn't even have a lancer to take care of it! And our guns aren't powerful enough to destroy it even with all our shots hitting the radiator."

Alicia then noticed Gus, who was still holding the prototype weapon in his hands, as he slowly lowered it with a relieved expression. "Gus... Did you...?" Alicia stated, noticing that Gus's weapon was different to that of her scout rifle. "Is that... another prototype weapon...?"

Gus nodded slowly, before he walked over and immediately tore down the Imperial banner of the camp, and replaced it with the Gallian banner, as Gus immediately turned his comms on.

"This is Gus, Welkin. We occupied the enemy base camp!" Gus stated, although he didn't get a reply back, since he was being mesmerised by the clash unfolding before him. "Welkin...? Please respond! Are you okay? Welkin!?"

"Welks... He's unable to speak for the moment, Gus..." Isara stated. "Richard actually fighting that Valkyria with that same form he attained back in Marberry Shore... It looks like he's fighting evenly with her right now, and neither side has suffered any injury..."

"Is that so..." Gus stated, before he turned to the rest of the team. "We need to return to base. The Valkyria could go after us, if she finds out the base camp has been taken, and we're still in the area to be targeted..."

"Yeah, right away." Sanae agreed, before everyone immediately retreated from the area, in order to shake off Selvaria, who was after them.

Selvaria was left with frustration and anger, as her attacks futilely bounced off Richard's own guard, and he wasn't even attacking at this point, opting to merely wait her out. When she immediately took a moment to turn her eyes to the Imperial base camp, hoping that the Imperial soldiers are still standing, only to see the Gallian banner flying above it, infuriating her further.

"Rrgh...! Those fools let them through!" Selvaria growled, before she then turned back to Richard. "Don't think that taking a single area and winning this battle will change anything. This is a mere delay."

"Is that so...?" Richard responded back. "And what makes you so sure of our defeat then? I could continue to delay you until you are exhausted to the point of being unable to fight. And then we'll see who has the advantage then."

"Your arrogance knows no bound, Darcsen." Selvaria hissed back, before she then turned away from him. "We've made a good start of the battle. Your eastern front is weakened significantly. His Grace will be pleased with my accomplishments. We will finish this the next time we meet."

"And I will be waiting for you, Selvaria." Richard replied back with a steely tone. "It doesn't matter where we fight, or what is on the stake. Just as you are determined to defeat us, I am determined to defeat you, so that the threat you pose to our army ends. The next time we meet, I expect you to not insult my conviction by holding yourself back. You will come at me at your fullest power, so that we both will have no regrets for the outcome. Until then, continue fighting, for I will not let myself die so easily, before our next encounter."

Selvaria was left silent at Richard's words, as she gained slight respect of Richard's words, considering that he was willing to fight her in a battle where both sides are putting their full effort into it. She then clicked her tongue derisively, before she immediately sprinted out of the battlefield, leaving Richard alone in the barren and empty landscape.

"Welks! The Valkyria... She retreated!" Isara told Welkin.

"Rain... actually managed to repel her... himself...?" Welkin said, with utter disbelief in his voice, before he then sighed in great relief. "Haaah... We're saved by Rain again from her... I really should stop doubting his ability to handle these kind of crazy plans... He must be insulted that I belittle him with how I use him..."

"Lieutenant, excellent work out there." Varrot stated through the comms. "Sending that monster back was a salvation for us, since there won't be any more causalities from her. That said, our side has suffered heavy losses. They're the clear victors of this first round."

"Understood, Captain. We will prepare for the battles to come." Welkin stated.

Richard's form immediately dispelled, as his hair and eyes turned back into their original colours, while his weapons stopped glowing. He then fell onto his knees, as he was left gasping and wheezing in exhaustion, as if the transformation took a lot out of him.

"Rain looks like that he's utterly exhausted from the battle..." Zaka remarked, seeing Richard's current state. "Well, at least it's not as bad it was. I'll pick him up."

The Shamrock then moved over to where Richard was, as he was still breathing heavily and slowly, as he couldn't move from the spot he fell on. Zaka then came out of the tank, before hefting Richard up onto his shoulder.

"...Thanks..." Richard wheezed back. "I think that using that form of mine has cost me a lot of my strength and stamina currently... I feel like that I could doze off at any moment, or outright faint."

"Yeah, you really should have thought that one through. Then again... It saved us from the Valkyria." Zaka responded back. "By the way, did you really have to stab yourself in the stomach to make yourself turn into that form...?"

"Well... They say that Valkyrian power ignites when you are in life-threatening danger. So I opted for the threat of a bleed-out death, by stabbing the abdomen." Richard faintly explained. "Good news is that the wound healed itself the same way it did for Alicia back then, because I purposely used a small dagger to avoid making the wound too deep to heal. Bad news...?"

"Yeah...?" Zaka asked.

"I don't think I can handle another transformation for a while." Richard groaned back. "Sure I can do, but it's going to feel like that using it will drain my own vitality for it, so if she comes back, I'm going to end up far worse than I am now, once my next battle with her is over. So, you don't need to worry about me having a death wish, I don't plan on using that method to awaken myself, even though it's the only way that works for me right now."

Zaka remained silent, as he loaded Richard into the Shamrock, as they drove away from the battlefield with the Edelweiss.

* * *

_During Squad 7's return back to the main base..._

The squad immediately stopped at a certain point, where they were given a clear view of the battlefield in front of them, as it was littered with the bodies of dead Gallian soldiers, and the smoking wrecks of countless Gallian tanks, as Welkin and Zaka boarded out of their tanks, with Richard still being supported by Zaka on the shoulder.

"What is she... Some kinda monster...!?" Rosie commented at the scene before her.

"That's a Valkyria's true power." Largo remarked. "Be glad that it wasn't the Edelweiss or the Shamrock amongst them right now, considering that we just fought her."

"We were able to occupy their main camp, but took heavy losses." Welkin stated, looking upon the destruction wrought by Selvaria alone, before he turned to Alicia. "Alicia, we won't be able to survive the battle as it is. We have to call for additional troops, to deal with the other Imperial troops, not to mention the Valkyria herself..."

"Right. I'll go gather the rest of the squad, and then we'll make a call for reinforcements from the other fronts." Alicia nodded.

Before she could do anything, a sniper shot rang out, as it tore right through the side of her torso. She immediately froze where she stood, completely still and mouth wide-open, and everyone turned to her, seeing the blood pooling under her uniform. They watched with horror, as she immediately let out a long pained moan, before she dropped down to the ground, as she fainted from the sheer pain and blood loss she was dealing with.

"Alicia!" Welkin shouted, as Largo shouted it as well, before everyone looked around, as Sanae watched with fearful eyes, as Alicia's unconscious body was bleeding heavily.

"Let me heal her up!" Sanae shouted, as she immediately put out her ragnaid diffuser, before she immediately activated it over the bullet wound, as the blood flow was being staunched, although the wound was refusing to heal up completely.

"It can't be...! We got them all!" Rosie shouted, as everyone looked around frantically for the shooter.

Reisen immediately raised her Tornerre up, as she managed to pinpoint the shooter, after a few moments to checking every possible angle. When she did however, the person she saw immediately shocked her. She was unable to pull the trigger, as the person she saw... was Faldio himself, as he had a regretful expression on his face, as he lowered the sniper rifle in his hand.

He then noticed that Reisen had him in her sights, as he looked at her with a guilty expression, before muttering a inaudible apology, and then running out of the sight of everyone. Being unable to pull the trigger on Faldio, despite his act of betrayal, she immediately lowered her weapon, before then turning around to see what's going on with everyone else.

"We don't have time to go search. We've got to get Alicia out of here." Zaka told everyone.

"I've got her!" Gus stated. "We need to get back to base camp, so that we can treat her immediately!"

Welkin looked at Alicia with a concerned expression, as he was afraid of what might have happened to Alicia, before he entered the Edelweiss, and everyone left the area immediately.

* * *

_In the medic's tent at the main camp..._

Alicia was lying in one of the beds, as she was snugly tucked into the ward bed, as she looked like she was uninjured, not accounting for the bandaged torso she had under the bed.

"Oh, Alicia..." Welkin muttered with a sad voice.

"They said it missed her organs, but she's still out cold, huh...?" Largo replied back. "C'mon boss. There ain't nothing we can do for her cooped up in here. We really got our hands full, keeping these Imperials from crashing down on top of us."

"Yeah, you're right. We'll be back soon, Alicia." Welkin stated.

Soon, Gus came in with Fina, as Gus gave Welkin a grim smile. "Hey, Welkin." Gus stated. "Alicia's okay for now... right? Fina told me that she's not in the danger of losing her life, thanks to her intervention and Sanae's first-aid on her."

"I hope so, Gus..." Welkin replied back with a solemn tone. "Even if it didn't pierce through her organs... I feel like that it is just as severe as a wound as if it did..."

"Lieutenant Gunther? Might I have a word...?" Fina asked Welkin.

"Hmm... Sure, what is up, Fina?" Welkin questioned back.

"Well, it's... I'd feel more comfortable if we could talk alone about this..." Fina stated, before turning to Gus and Largo. "Sorry..."

"Right. I'll head on back to the squad, boss." Largo stated, as he immediately walked his way out.

"Thanks, Largo. Get everyone ready to move out." Welkin stated, as Largo moved past him.

"I'll go see how Richard is doing so far." Gus said as well, before he left. "I'm sure that he's just exhausted from the battle before."

"I'm sorry to keep you. I know you've got a squad to run here." Fina apologised back to Welkin, after Gus left the tent.

"It's fine. What is it?" Welkin asked, before Fina produced a blood-soaked bullet, which intrigued Welkin.

"Well, I removed the offending bullet from Alicia's body, but when I took a closer look at it... It's..." Fina stated, before she paused for a moment, trying to find a proper way to convey her meaning. "The bullet wasn't of Imperial make. I have seen almost every kind of bullet produced by them, when extracting them all. It was a Gallian sniper round, sir."

"Wh-What!?" Welkin exclaimed with shock.

"And not just a normal round, either. It's part of a new series still in testing." Fina continued.

"So you're saying... You think Alicia was shot by someone on our side!?" Welkin stated at the potential accusing statement that Fina deduced.

"I can't be completely sure about it, but... I believe it is a real possibility. A very real one at that." Fina stated. "The first rifles made for this series wasn't even distributed to the frontlines yet."

"But, why? What would anyone stand to gain from shooting someone in their own camp!?" Welkin yelled in outrage. "What!?"

* * *

_In the commander's tent..._

"Augh, these incompetents!" General Damon, a plump and stout man with a handle-bar mustache and goatee, brown eyes and hair, as well as a Gallian officer cap, and many medals decorating his dark-blue coat, screamed in anger. He was fuming around with anger, as his expression was twisted with frustration. "Why are they letting the Empire have their way!?"

"With all due respect, General! Our army isn't equipped to fight a Valkyria!" Varrot argued back. "We ought to pull back for now, and think of a strategy to neutralise her safely!"

"Eagh, quiet, quiet!" Damon roared back. "If we pull out now, how will I explain this to the higher-ups!? Tomorrow at noon, we march on to the Empire again! Every soldier we have, fights!"

"General! You can't possibly push further on-" Varrot argued again.

"Know your place, Varrot!" Damon yelled back with a condescending tone. "You are dismissed!"

Varrot didn't say anything, but her expression was filled with worry and disdain. Before she could turn to leave, the tent's flap moved aside, to reveal Richard who seemed to have recovered from the exhaustion from before.

"What!? What is one of your country mice doing in here!?" Damon fumed, before he then turned to Richard, pointing at him. "You, get out! This is for the real commanders like myself!"

"I just simply want to discuss an matter with you, General." Richard stated, before he gave off a disarming smile. "I suppose we never met face-to-face before. I am Ensign Rain Craider of Squad 7, 3rd Regiment, and one of the main officers for the squad."

"Your rank doesn't matter to me! You're still my inferior, so I order to scamper back to the run-down camp that is your militia!" Damon spat back.

"General, calm down! Ensign Rain is trying to be civil here!" Varrot advised Damon.

"Hmph! Fine, since you managed to earn yourself quite the reputation, I'll spare my ear for you, for only this moment." Damon snorted back, annoyed. "What is the matter which you have to bother me with?"

"General, if I may speak, I was passing by the tent, when I heard the commotion inside. I couldn't help but hear the conundrum that you all have gotten into." Richard calmly stated. "I would like to say that the Captain has a good point. If it wasn't for the fact that the Valkyria knows she can't charge the enemy lines alone, we would have been completely annihilated by her. This battle, in my honest opinion, is a suicidal mission."

"You dare...!?" Damon growled back. "You dare question my decision!? Do you even know who holds the authority here!? I could have you court-martialled where you stand, you insolent farm-hand!"

"I have reasonable doubt, sir." Richard answered back. "It's not that I'm worried about our squad. We of Squad 7 pride ourselves in being able to outsmart the enemy, and out-match them even in these kinds of odds. But we are merely a single squad, General. We cannot turn the tide of the war alone, by charging against the entire brunt of the Empire invasion force alone. We need the support of the rest of the army, if we are to win the war completely."

"And your point...!? Get on with it, stop trying to make pathetic excuses for being incompetent like the others!" Damon yelled back impatiently.

"That's the thing, General. You're throwing the entire Gallian army into the meat-grinder. Or more likely, you're handing the entire vanguard of the Gallian army in a silver platter to the Empire." Richard bluntly stated. "If you keep on charging, there won't be a 'army' anymore. Even if Squad 7 survives against insurmountable odds, you will be left without any forces to command. And when that happens, what will happen to Randgriz, then Gallia, if that happens?"

"What... What are you spouting, you pretentious savage!?" Damon shouted back, as his face was turning slightly red from the anger bottled in him. "So you're saying that I'm leading my own men to the death!?"

"...The results speak for themselves, General. The eastern front, from the reports, has suffered a casualty rate of 60%, just from that battle alone. Not to mention that Squads 2, 3 and 5 of the third regiment have been annihilated, with the number of survivors being just under 10 of the original 750." Richard stated clearly. "If this is merely the first round... Then what would happen when the battle ramps up, General? We are facing complete annihilation, General. This is nothing to undermine or overlook. If we win this battle as a pyrrhic victory, then what's to stop the Empire from using any trump cards hidden in their sleeves to completely crush us, while our main army is down? What then, General?"

"I... I..." Damon stated, as he was left unable to retort back, as Richard's word instilled a sense of dread in him, as Richard's serious expression unnerved him.

"Tell me, General. What is the reason we persist this battle, when the outcome is clear?" Richard asked back with a solemn tone. "Is it because you believe that perseverance is the key to winning this decisive battle? Is it because we have been forced into a situation where retreat would result in a worse situation than what we are in now? What is it, General? What is it?"

Damon stuttered and gasped, as he tried to explain himself, although Richard's words stabbed right through his heart, leaving him unable to do so. Richard then slowly bowed his head down.

"When I heard those words... 'How will I explain this to the higher-ups...?'" Richard stated with a low voice. "A general like you, wouldn't be saying that, since you could easily justify a retreat in this circumstances, when the first conflict of this battle has left the Gallian army crippled like this. You wouldn't be chewed out for choosing to retreat when the going gets tough, with the rest of the army in tow. And so far, there has been no orders to make a line of defence, in order to staunch further causalities. So from what I have heard from this, and what has gone on so far... General, no, Georg van Damon, you have a ulterior motive for continuing this battle, even with what its doing to the Gallian army. You want to win this battle, so that you could prove that your position as a General is well-suited for you, since if you win this battle, you could effectively call yourself the saviour of Gallia, because this battle could be the one to drive the Imperials out, right...? Is that what your final plan is?"

Damon immediately wheezed, as he fell onto his bottom, shivering and sweating profusely, as Richard's eyes locked onto him, filled with a judgemental look, and cold disdain towards him, despite his expression being stoic, as he began to blubber and whimper, while Varrot was absolutely shocked speechless at how Richard is speaking right now.

"W-What are you saying...!?" Damon shouted, with a shivering finger pointed at Richard. "Y-You have no evidence to prove that."

"On the contrary. The evidence is quite obvious." Richard stated, shaking his head. "And it's not just from the way things are going right now. In fact, I've seen the signs everywhere. When I read up how you got enlisted, it was stated that it was because of Mauritis von Borg that you possessed the rank of General, despite your past as a aristocrat. That's when I began to have suspicions about your true nature. And then I recalled about how you treated the militia in the past. Disposable pawns, sacrificed for your glory and fame as a 'winning' commander. And then I heard the rumours about how your skill and attitude does not befit your rank, from both the militia and the central army. So I did some research myself. I learned about how your actions have caused far worse results than what the militia, under my Captain, would have done on the same situations, much less than what Squad 7 alone would have done, and the bragging that you have done for each of your victories, regardless the outcomes, furthered my understanding of what you are. You are a glory-hound, stooping to the level of using everything and anything it takes to earn even a single shred of honour, respect, or glory, considering any costs that could possibly happen as a result, as insignificant."

Richard then turned around, as he prepared to leave the tent, while Varrot slowly turned to him.

"Georg Van Damon. As per your wishes, we will continue fighting this pointless battle, since the soldiers can only listen to you." Richard continued with a slightly hostile tone. "But know this, you will be most definitely held accountable for the potential loss of the entire Gallian army for your actions, and this won't be so easily justified like the other losses you have had, and no matter what the outcome is, you will be found out for your greed, and this will hurt you more than it will benefit you. I would say that you would live to see yourself disgraced for your immoral and unsightly behaviour as the army general, but considering your own lack of strategy and situational awareness, I'd say that there is a near certainty that you'll be dead before you even know it, if not in this battle. That is all I have to say about you. You will eventually come to realise the weight of the sins you have created for yourself. I'll dismiss myself now. Oh, and Varrot?"

Richard then turned to Varrot, before he bowed apologetically. "I apologise if this has left you speechless." He simply stated. "And I hope that you will understand that this is merely for the sake of the army."

Richard then exited the tent, leaving a completely shattered Damon on the ground, and a stunned Varrot inside, both of them trying to make sense of what just happened.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Alicia's Awakening, and the Road to Ghirlandaio.

Response to reviews:

-Trust me, Richard will go any lengths to keep his masquerade going, and I mean ANY lengths, morally questionable or not.

-Damon's not going to matter soon enough, however, he is going to try to do something next chapter, that could be expected or not, depending on if you can read under the lines. However, Selvaria's going to get more pity, but Richard will tell Welkin that Selvaria chose this herself, and that she did this to spite the Gallian army. Not to mention that everyone will be just as horrified, when most of Gallia's army went up in ashes like that, leaving possibly only the militia as the functional army of Gallia.

A/N Note: Just for fun, I'll put up the possible Special Powers that Richard and his team have, if they were involved in the events of VC3 and in it. Of course, they possess far greater powers than what is listed, but I'm putting in a fair and balanced level, in terms of both gameplay and narrative.

Gus - Full Rally: This move basically is a order bundle of all 'All Units' Order. That basically means that for the current turn, all units have +10 defence, anti-personnel power, evasion, and heals everyone for 80 health, as well as increasing the chance of chance-based potentials being triggered, all just for a single SP and CP. Fitting, considering Gus's ability to raise one's spirits, as someone determined to help others regardless, and that kind of determination spreads along others, giving them one hell of a buff, when Gus makes his 'rally'.

Sanae/Sally - Nature Blessing: This special will basically heal everyone at full, and cause all damage to all units to be reduced to a quarter for the current turn. Considering that Sanae is a shrine maiden made for miracles and blessings of nature, she basically gives everyone a healing and protection miracle, that makes everyone far stronger, making it hard to bring down any of them, unless the enemy gets really lucky, or are actually good enough to negate that advantage through smart positioning.

Reisen/Remy - Sky's Vision: This special is basically a upgrade of the Recon Order, as it shows enemy positioning for a whopping three turns, regardless of where they are. And that's not all, this special effectively gives Reisen infinite-range, and raises her accuracy to be a single pixel, meaning that if the enemy is even the slightest moment exposed, she will spot them out. And considering the Tornerre in her hands, she's going to literally murder anyone who even tries to move out of cover, meaning that for those three turns, she's basically a insta-kill for any enemies that try to move out of cover. The only way this is fair, is because not all maps are completely exposed, meaning that even if she fires in interception, the terrain will be against her, meaning that she can't get every single soldier on the battlefield, unless she moves from her position, to a point where her shots won't be obstructed.

Marisa/Mari - Salvo Loader: This special gives Marisa 5 rounds from her weapon, which will be disclosed in this chapter. It's basically an alternate version of Imca's Open Fire, as it doesn't hit enemies in her vision, but gives her free rounds to fire on the same turn. Not to mention the special power comes with its own accuracy boost, to make the best use of the power. I'll let you guys figure out how astounding that power is, if you account for the fact that she has good accuracy, and multiple shots in the same turn, from that single power.

Richard/Rain - Fearless Charge/Darcsen's Cry: The reason why Richard has two special powers, is because of both the weapon he has in his hand, as well as the fact that he can go super-human a la Valkyria, considering the events established in the story. Fearless Charge basically doubles Richard's AP pool, allowing to move far, and giving him as many shots as he wants, but are cast from his AP itself. Not only that, his final barrage will be empowered, compared to the other ones made in that one turn. The only reason this doesn't bound into unfair and game-breaking territory, is the fact that his defence and evasion remain unchanged, meaning that reckless use will get him downed instead. Darcsen's Cry is basically Valkyria Transformation, where Richard maintains the form just as long as the Valkyrias. The main difference is the fact that he's not invincible, but he has boosted evasion, and unable to be hit by enemy interception fire, to the point that only enemies with good luck can hit him, or AOE weaponry. He also only has a melee option, but like Fearless Charge, he has infinite uses in that single turn, and this one doesn't cost anything. Not to mention that only the strongest of tanks can survive a single blow from the blade, because not even armour can lessen the blow he makes.

* * *

_In the Naggiar battlefield..._

The entire armies of both sides face off each other, as Squad 7 was inside the Gallian army, towards the centre of the forces. Neither side moved a single inch, as they stood off against each other in silence.

It was Selvaria, who walked in front of the Imperial force, who broke the silence, as she lifted her Valkyrian lance, pointing it at the Gallian Army.

"Listen to me, Gallia!" She boomed loudly, her voice enhanced by her power. "Cast aside your weapons and surrender! If you do not, Naggiar's plains will drink deeply in your blood!"

The Imperial forces cheered loudly at that, as their morale was boosted by how their Valkyria was with them. On the other side, the Gallian soldiers' unease grew, as they were unnerved by Selvaria's ultimatum, as they staggered back, with fearful expression.

Welkin could only watch helplessly, as his fellow soldiers were being pressured by Selvaria, who had the power in her to devastate the Gallian army alone, while the rest of Squad 7 stood by.

One of the soldiers in the Gallian side, immediately felt a strange presence behind him, as he then turned around, his fear and unease turning into sheer disbelief.

"Wait a minute..." The soldier spoke, attracting the attention of those nearby, before raising a finger up to point at the source. "I don't believe it."

Squad 7 also saw it, as everyone was left completely agape at what they saw. It was Alicia herself, who was sporting the azure aura and red eyes of a Valkyria, except her eyes seemed to be completely devoid of consciousness or spirit, as she trudged to the front without any response, as the other soldiers moved aside for her.

"No! She can't be a Valkyria too...!" Welkin exclaimed with disbelief.

Alicia continued to walk towards the Imperial army, as her lance and shield was in her hands, down by her side. After walking for a while, she immediately stopped, placing her feet apart, as if she was at her destination.

"Another scion to the Valkyrur?" Selvaria remarked, her eyes narrowing on Alicia. "This world has no need for two. Get out!"

She then roared, charging at Alicia at full speed, with her lance up at the ready, as Alicia didn't react at all. She then leapt into the air, before swinging the lance down to cleave Alicia. However, Alicia merely sidestepped smoothly to the side, forming a glowing afterimage trail of herself, as Selvaria's lance smashed into the ground, kicking up dust and breaking the ground underneath it. Selvaria, caught off-guard with how her attack was simply evaded by Alicia, immediately growled, before lifting her lance and swinging it across.

Alicia immediately dodged the attack by back-flipping through Selvaria, landing on her feet gracefully. Selvaria immediately turned around, as she charged at Alicia again. This time, Alicia turned around, before crossing her shield over her lance, as both shield and lance began to expand, as the pieces of the shield folded around the centre itself, and the lance's full length popped out. Alicia then swung her lance in time to parry Selvaria's blow, knocking the Imperial Valkyria's attack aside, before she then dodged to the side to avoid a thrust aimed at her head.

Selvaria then swung down again, as Alicia blocked with her lance, as their lances pushed against each other, and they meet eye-to-eye, as Alicia's emotionless expression ticked Selvaria even more, as she grit her teeth, trying to push her down. However, Alicia flicked her wrist on the lance, as her eyes glowed even brighter, sending Selvaria tumbling backwards a few times on the ground, before she then regained her footing, sliding across the ground.

"Augh!" Selvaria groaned, before she then ran up, before swinging her lance across the ground, as it created a blue shock-wave that shot towards Alicia.

Alicia immediately leapt into the air, before she then twirled around in the air, getting increasingly faster and faster. She then dropped right in front of Selvaria, as her lance was poised to thrust at Selvaria. Immediately noticing the danger, Selvaria put her shield up, before Alicia, using the momentum of her mid-air spin to power her attack, thrust at Selvaria's shield with such force, that Selvaria only lasted for a few moments, before her shield and lance were blasted away from her, and she was sent flying across the ground, rolling and tumbling to a stop, as her aura disappeared, and her lance and shield landed right beside her.

"This can't be..." Selvaria remarked, as she tried to get up from the ground, before she lost her consciousness and fell to the ground flat.

Alicia immediately looked up to the sky, as the Gallian were the ones to cheer, as the Imperials were demoralised at how their Valkyria was outdone by the one that appeared before the Gallian army.

"Yeah, take that, Imperial scum!" A soldier shouted with joy. "How does it feel to be beaten by our own Valkyria!"

"Now it's our turn to turn the tides against you!" Another soldier roared with new-found courage and determination.

The Gallian army immediately advanced, as the Imperial soldiers tried to ready themselves as best as they could, before the two forces could clash. Alicia immediately began to move again, although she just walked past the unconscious Selvaria, as if she didn't care about the other Valkyria.

"...Squad 7, concentrate on taking their base camp! Move out!" Welkin immediately ordered, as he then entered the Edelweiss.

The squad immediately responded back with a synchronised roar, before they immediately advanced to the frontlines of the battle, while the other army regiments and squads fought on their own fronts.

"Before we advance, we need to make a head-count of those present." Welkin stated. "Sound off!"

Current Team: Edelweiss, Shamrock, Vyse, Rosie, Largo, Mari, Sally, Remy, Gus, Rain

As everyone sounded off as expected, Welkin immediately began to relay his orders.

"Boss! What's happened to Alicia?" Rosie stated. "Don't tell me that..."

"I don't know... But that blue flame is the same as that Valkyria's, Selvaria." Welkin responded back with a uneasy tone.

"You don't mean... You're saying that Alicia's Valkyria as well!?" Largo stated. "Now that just makes what Rain did back there seem like a commodity..."

"It looks like she's acting unconsciously. I don't know what she will do, if she sees us, but we shouldn't get too close regardless." Welkin stated.

"It seems that she is. I can tell you that when I transformed back in Marberry, all I had in mind during those moments was Zaka's name and the weapons in my hands. Nothing more. I'm actually relieved that you came after I was conked out, because I might have literally charged to slaughter you all if I wasn't."

"God...!" Isara stated with horror. "So you didn't have any ability to discern ally from enemy...?"

"Yes... And I believe it's the same case for Alicia, Isara." Richard stated. "We should avoid causing friendly fire on her, lest we bring her wrath towards our side." Richard answered back. "For now, just focus on keeping ourselves safe. Alicia should take care of the Imperials herself, considering her condition right now."

The Imperial soldiers tried firing at Alicia, although she was unfazed by every singe shot aimed at her, as not even tank rounds could stop her. When she stopped, she charged her lance with energy, before firing a piercing beam of light that gutted and destroyed anything in its path. Behind her, the entirety of the squad followed her slowly behind, as they took out any enemy targets that Alicia missed.

With Alicia breaking through the enemy offence like wet paper, the squad managed to reach the Imperial base camp, which was captured with no fanfare at all. As Alicia began to walk, her aura began to slowly fade, before she slowed down to a halt. She then dropped the shield and lance, as if she was unable to carry them any longer, as her eyes turned back to normal, before she fell on her knees and immediately dropped to the ground, soundly unconscious once more.

"Alicia!" Welkin stated, before he then turned on the comms, and shouted in it. "Medic! Medic!"

"I'm coming right away, Welkin!" Fina stated. "Just hold on as long as you can!"

Richard immediately pulled Alicia into the safe confines of the base camp, before Sanae then applied ragnaid to her body, which elicited a quiet groan from Alicia. Soon, Fina arrived, as the squad was already on edge with how dangerous the battlefield is right now.

"What happened, Welkin!?" Fina asked, before she noticed the fainted Alica being tended to by Sanae. "Alicia... Is she..."

"It looks like she passed out. Can you get her back to base for me?" Welkin asked her.

"Yes, sir!" Fina stated, as she hefted Alicia over her shoulder. "I'll rush back as soon as I can. She will be safe with me. I've handled running through worse situations than this. Don't worry."

As soon as Fina left with Alicia in tow, there was the distant sound of a explosion ringing across the ground, surprising everyone.

"Wh-What now!?" Welkin remarked with surprise.

"Massive tanks are approaching from the north and south!" Varrot stated. "Be careful, Lieutenant! It's a pincer attack!"

"So they anticipated this...!?" Marisa squawked. "Son of a... They lured us into a trap!"

"This camp was merely bait to lure us in...!" Welkin added as well. "We have no choice... We have to fight off the attack."

"There are reports that the tanks fire incendiary rounds. The impact explodes into a broad blaze." Varrot relayed the information on the enemy tanks' weaponry to Welkin. "That flame can get at you even in the trenches, and the flames take a while to die down, due to the ragnite powering them. Be careful!"

"Change of plan, 7's! Hold this camp, and take down those tanks!" Welkin stated. "And take down their escort as well! We cannot afford to let a single enemy soldier through this!"

"Right away. Who's going to deal with who? The Victorie and the Coup possess fairly decent anti-tank capabilities." Richard asked Welkin. "We need to make sure that both sides can handle both infantry and enemy tank as well as possible."

"The... Coup?" Welkin asked. "Is that what the rifle in Gus's hand is called?"

"Yep, but that doesn't matter." Richard answered back. "What matters is that the north path is filled with a massive patch of tall-grass. Who knows what could be lurking over there...?"

"Right. Remy... Take care of the north. The Tornerre should allow you to snipe out enemies from afar, right?" Welkin stated. "You, Rain, Vyse, Mari and Sally take care of the north. Both the Edelweiss, Shamrock, Largo, Rosie and Gus will handle the south front."

"Copy that." Reisen stated, before she sniped out a Imperial sniper that was moving on the alcove above the base camp, before she then shot again to take out the other sniper. "I'll position myself in the base. Just make sure to tell me if the enemy tanks are firing the incendiary rounds into my position, so that I can avoid it."

The two teams split up, as they advance in the respective directions, battling with the enemy there. While both tanks advanced, the Shamrock immediately put the newly-mounted flamethrower to use, as it immediately used it on a group of enemies hiding behind sandbag cover, laying a thick stream of blue-fire that caught the soldiers behind the cover, causing them to scream and writhe in agony, as they were cooked alive in their metallic armour, before they stopped completely, their body being burnt to the point of death. Meanwhile the Edelweiss immediately laid down a smoke round near the enemy tank, as it looked a much more larger and heavier version of the Imperial tank, with a large attachable mortar launcher on the back, and a flamethrower turret on the front.

Largo and Gus entered the smoke cloud produced, as they waited for the enemy tank to move closer, so that they can ambush it from behind, striking its weak point. Their wishes were granted, as the Imperial tank moved forward,as the launcher on the back opened, and fired a large mortar round, with the sound of another being fired on the northern side.

"Predicting impact zones..." Isara analysed, before she then paled. "Remi, they're targeting the base camp! You need to get out, now!"

"What...!?" Reisen stated, as she immediately vaulted over her cover, before she sprinted as far as she could from the base camp, before the round struck the area, exploding into a conflagration of blue flames, as some persisted, crackling and flickering on the ground.

"Damn... Those flames can really burn..." Marisa commented on the flames produced by the incendiary rounds.

"We can't waste time! We need to take down the enemy tank, before they get the chance to fire another one!" Richard shouted. "Move through the grass, and be careful, because if it fires that round into the grass, then we're going to burnt alive with it!"

They immediately advanced, as they took shots from the grass itself, as Richard tore down the enemy infantry, before Marisa immediately moved to attack the enemy tank, firing a shot into the radiator. Although severely damaged, the tank was still standing, as it aimed its flamethrower turret at Marisa, who immediately rolled to the side, and dashed from the moving flame stream.

While Marisa had the flamethrower of the tank occupied, he immediately rushed behind the enemy tank, out-speeding the machine guns aimed at him, before he then unleashed the entire clip of his weapon into the enemy radiator, as it managed to finish off the enemy tank completely, causing it to explode in blue and orange flames, as everyone retreated away from the melting tank.

"We have one enemy tank down, Welkin!" Richard stated. "Pick up the pace and finish the job!"

Gus and Largo immediately sprang their attack, as both of them attacked the enemy tank, which was completely unaware of their presence, as the anti-armour rounds of Gus's Coup, and Largo's lance landing critical strikes on the radiator of the tank, it was shortly destroyed, like its twin on the northern area of the battlefield.

"Then that makes it operation complete!" Welkin stated. "With this, we should have a advantage over the Imperial troops, thanks to Alicia... Even if I dread of considering what she had just done... I know that she didn't have the choice in the matter itself. I need to be there to comfort her, if she wakes up completely scared and afraid..."

No-one responded back to him, as they immediately made their way back to the main camp of the army, to see Alicia.

* * *

_In the medic's tent..._

Welkin immediately walked into the tent, accompanied by Richard, Gus and Sanae, as they saw that Alicia was in the bed, completely recovered.

"Alicia! Are you alright?" Welkin asked, before Alicia turned to him with a conflicted expression.

"I'm... what happened? I can't remember... What did...?" Alicia asked slowly. "I was shot, wasn't I? But here I am, alive and fully healed... And it's like... Everyone looks at me differently now, as if I'm some monster... Like they're scared of me now..."

Alicia then leaned forward, as she grabbed Welkin by his uniform, as her eyes were filled with desperation. "Welkin, did... Has something happened to me? Tell me, please!" She begged.

"Alicia..." Welkin muttered, as she took Alicia's hand off him, and held them gently. "I... I can't tell you..."

"No, Welkin, she deserves to know." Richard firmly told him with a stern glare, before he walked towards her. "Alicia... Do you remember what happened back in Barious, specifically in the ruins...?"

"...The ruins... You mean the Valkyrian ruins back then... I remember it clearly... I remember opening the door... Rain... I remember seeing that Valkyria for the first time..." Alicia stated. "I remember her speaking to me just before... But I don't know clearly what she was saying..."

"Then that proves it then... Alicia, I don't know how to break this to you without hurting your feelings, but I need you to know the truth, even if it may hurt you." Richard solemnly replied back. "Alicia... You're a Valkyria... And a recently awakened one, thanks to the wound you just received."

"I am... Valkyria... But... But that's not possible! I... I wouldn't have such power...!" Alicia complained, as she was trying to deny what she was saying.

"Listen, Alicia!" Richard shouted to her, causing her to flinch. "I know that you're in denial right now, but the lance and shield that is with you back then, is proof enough that you're a Valkyria. It reacted to you, just like the gate in the ruins... You are blessed or cursed with the same power as Selvaria... depending on how you see it."

"Rain! That's enough!" Welkin told Richard firmly.

Alicia was left silent, before she then looked up to Richard. "...Do you hate this power... Do you hate your power... which is like the goddesses of destruction in the past...?" She asked him with a doubtful tone. "Do you hate that this power can only destroy and hurt others...?"

Richard didn't responded back for a moment, as he then closed his eyes and made his response.

"Yes... I do hate that it's only useful for war and destruction." He answered back, before he then opened his eyes, as they were filled with some sorrow. "But that doesn't mean that it's truly abominable. I know what I did back in Marberry Shore, and I have regrets for what I have done, in my own blind fury. But if I were to call this a curse, then I would be lying to myself, because I have used this power only twice. Once because I unconsciously willed it to being, and again on my own volition to protect."

"...Protect?" Alicia asked with confusion.

"Yes. Protect. You noticed back then, that I never used that power to slaughter the enemy. No..." Richard responded back in a calm manner. "I used it to stand off against Selvaria herself, and delay her long enough for the rest of you to finish your job. That isn't destruction, that is merely strength. Supernatural and violent our powers may be, Alicia, we are the ones who decide what we do with it, not others. If we are monsters, then I would have long used this power to destroy my enemy. But I am not that cruel, or merciless. I am here to protect my country, and if this power can be used to do so, then I will only use it for the sake of only that task alone."

Alicia was left unable to ask anymore, as Richard's words resonated in her quite firmly, causing her to fall into silence.

"Either way... Don't hate yourself, just because you're a Valkyria." Richard stated. "After all... Power... does not always corrupts one's morality and being."

He then left, leaving that cryptic statement to both Welkin and Alicia.

* * *

_Back in Randgriz, a few weeks after the battle of Naggiar..._

"Alright, it's all done, bro!" Leon told Richard and Marisa, who have come to the R&D department to see for themselves, the newest prototype weapon created by it. "Took us quite a while to make it, but we managed to finally make something much more reliable than the lance, if only one of them. I could say that we're on the verge of a breakthrough in this very age..."

"Glad to hear about it, Leon, but what exactly are we looking at here...? I know that the blueprint dictated a weapon that is supposed to take the role of a lance, but this doesn't look much to me." Richard asked him, looking at the weapon.

On the bench, was the weapon itself, which looked something like a large rocket launcher, complete with large muzzle and a foregrip for control, except there were two barrels on the weapon, one of them small, and the other large. On top of the gun was a large slotting mechanism for rockets, while the right side of the gun had a smaller loading shutter. The entire weapon was painted in black and blue, with the white markings of a lance point, running across the long and wide frontal area of the weapon. It also had a currently inactive ragnite generator grafted in the middle of the weapon, as well as heat-sinks and vents around the main body of the weapon, and a small magazine clip on the bottom of the weapon itself, connected to the second smaller slot of the weapon.

"Well, that's only because we managed to make something field-worthy. It was a hard task, I tell you." Leon remarked. "We had made a few failures on this design, and it took us more effort and work than the other weapons, because the only way that we propel those rockets of ours are using lances, so we had to borrow a few parts from the general design of a lance. But hey, we managed to work out something to work."

Leon then lifted the rocket-launcher, as he struggled a little from the weight, before he then handed it to Marisa, who immediately got to examining every part of it. "You see, there are actually two ways to use that weapon." Leon explained. "We decided to create a slotting mechanism for the standard rockets, used by lances as well. But with this design, it can shot from the shoulder, giving it better accuracy and recoil control. And then there's the other barrel and the extre slot. You noticed that these are too small for our usual rockets to be sent into, right?"

Richard nodded, before Leon then immediately pulled out a box filled with rockets that were far smaller than those of the rockets, but were designed the same shape as the standard rockets. "These are the secondary ammo of our newest creation." Leon stated. "They are basically meant to be fired in bursts, like shooting an rifle. You load them right inside the weapon, and the internal loading mechanisms of the weapon will automatically load the excess small rockets into the magazine on the bottom. Just make sure you don't fire it while reloading, or you're going to end up jamming the weapon badly."

"So the smaller rockets are meant to be a anti-personnel option, is that what you're trying to convey to me, Leon?" Richard asked. "Well, I can see that working."

"Actually, the small rockets are capable of anti-tank capabilities as well." Leon continued. "You see, we implemented a ragnite reactor into the weapon, exactly because of that. The idea is that the generator would supercharge the rockets to a precise degree, so that they can pierce through enemy armour and damage tanks as well, if only to a lesser degree, since the payload is much less than the standard type."

"Hm. That does seem like a good weapon. You outdone yourself, making something that could potentially revolutionise the way that rocket-propelling weaponry will be created." Richard praised Leon with a respectful tone and a smile.

"Aw shucks, no need for the flattery, bro. I'm just happy that we managed to make these weapons for you and your friends. I mean, you guys are the only ones that actually can use them effectively on the battlefield, considering you're the powerhouses of each weapon class." Leon replied back.

"Well... Welkin did allow us to keep the weapons, and no-one complained about us being the only ones with the good weapons, after I lent the Victorie to Vyse for the Bruhl liberation operation back then." Richard shrugged, before turning to Marisa. "Well, what would you like to call this one, Mari?"

"Me? I don't know. What would you call it, Rain?" Marisa asked Richard back. "I was thinking something on the lines of destruction, victory, and power. Oh, and flames could suffice as well."

"How about... the Petard?" Richard asked. "It's Gallian for fireworks, which are quite chaotic, considering what your other set of rockets would do to the battlefield."

"Hm... Well, I'll take it, only because I have no idea what a good name for this thing is. But I don't really care..." Marisa stated, before she grinned maniacally, and hugged the weapon close to her. "To me, it's my sugar-daddy."

Richard sweat-dropped at how Marisa was enjoying the fact that she finally got the weapons she wanted, considering her overly-exaggerated expression, before Welkin came in, as he still didn't look as happy as he usually was. He was still concerned and worried about Alicia, as well as determined to find out the truth of whoever shot Alicia. Richard immediately turned to him, before then to Leon.

"Leon, will we need to test it?" Richard simply asked him.

"No, no, let's not do that." Leon hastily stated with a slightly fearful tone and expression. "Testing that thing required using dummy tanks donated from the militia. I rather not waste our tanks testing it once again, we're sure it works fine and well, so no need for that, please, bro."

"If you say so. I apologise for distrusting your judgement, it's just that I don't want a weapon malfunction. With that ragnite generator, a single misfire or malfunction could blow Mari with it..." Richard responded back with some worry.

Leon nodded back in understanding, before Richard then walked over to where Welkin was. "Hey Welkin. What brings you here?" He casually greeted Welkin with a smile.

"Ah, Rain... I'm surprised to see you here." Welkin smiled back, before he saw both Marisa and Leon, the former with her new weapon, stroking it with unbound glee. "Is this...?"

"This is Mari's new weapon, taken from another lost Imperial blueprint. It's quite funny that these weapons are far different to the ones we had." Richard stated. "We had a full-auto weapon, the Victorie, a semi-automatic sniper, the Tornerre, a anti-tank rifle, the Coup, and now this, a gun that does the same job as a lance, only better, and with anti-personnel qualities... Which we have now named the Petard. Funny how these abandoned blueprints actually managed to win us several victories, thank to their frightening power, right...?"

Welkin nodded slowly, as there was a worried look on his face, which Richard caught. Richard immediately moved closer to Welkin, before whispering quietly into his ear.

"Look, Welkin... I promise you, that the only products of these blueprints will be solely in the hands of us and our friends." Richard stated. "I know that power can ruin people, but sometimes, you need the right amount of power, to avoid being crushed by others. Think of it like peeking into Pandora's Box, but not fully opening it, keeping the lid shut for the sake of the world. I made sure that Leon and Kreis promised to burn the blueprints once the war is over, so that none of these weapons can be made."

"But still..." Welkin muttered back, as Richard backed away. "Wait, speaking of Kreis, I have been looking for him."

"He should be here. I mean, he's got a lot of work, developing the new gear for everyone." Richard stated, before he grinned. "After all, he wants to make his own contribution to the team, as a gift for our Scouts and Stormtroopers being knighted as Elites. He's going to be spending a lot of time making those rifle-mounted grenades and flamethrowers for everyone."

"Well, I wouldn't doubt that. Being a researcher is quite strenuous, but at least the work helps everyone." Welkin responded back. "By the way, do you plan on giving the Victorie its own flame-thrower?"

"The decision is being considered, Welkin." Richard replied back with a hand on his chin. "There's not much room for improvisation for the Victorie, considering that its already hard enough to make initially, and making those changes could be quite difficult. By the way, you noticed that the Edelweiss has no-one to mount the machine-gun turret, ever since I officially retired from that role, with the acquisition of the Victorie, right? Do you plan on having someone take the role, because the machine-gun turret is essential for taking out enemy soldiers, especially those lancers."

"I wish I could, but I haven't found anyone suitable enough for the role." Welkin sighed. "It's just... I'm not sure who to pick."

"Then I can make a suggestion. But I doubt that you'll even dignify it with consideration." Richard stated, as his tone became serious. "In fact, the moment I utter the person, I know that you will be very likely to hate more for even suggesting it. And I know what I'm implying with it."

"...Tell me, Rain. I won't know for sure unless you tell me." Welkin assured Richard.

"...If that is your wish, Welkin. You know the girl who joined the stormtrooper division recently? The one who managed to pass all her military courses at the ripe age of 12? The one who managed to make her way to being one of the top soldiers of the squad, solely due to her devotion and natural talent?" Richard asked. "Aisha Neumann, if I remember clearly...? That's... who I'm suggesting, although it makes me... slightly ill even putting someone as young as her in the conflict."

Welkin remained silent, as he didn't know whether to tell Richard that he must have had a reason for it calmly, and outright scolding Richard for even suggesting to use someone as young as Aisha on the battlefield, despite her wishes. Richard waited a moment, before he then continued.

"I know what you're thinking, Welkin. And I'm aware that you wouldn't put someone as young as Aisha on the front-lines, despite her natural talent." Richard continued. "But that's exactly why she must be the Edelweiss's gunner, because out of all of the roles, the gunner is relatively safe compared to the rest of the positions. Welkin, she literally begged for me to let you in on a mission, even just one, because she feels like that you're afraid that she's still not worthy of fighting with the squad. You know that I can't break her heart, and discriminate her skill, just because of her age, and you shouldn't either. But I'm afraid of her dying a unmourned death at a tragic age like hers. And I found out something that makes her a good gunner... She's literally a monster with weaponry. Everything she fires at gets torn to shreds immediately, and she's got just as good as an eye as a scout. All of this makes her the perfect tank gunner of the squad. So please... consider it, if only just for her, or me."

There was a moment of silence, before Welkin then closed his eyes, his decision made, and spoke.

"I'll consider it, Rain..." Welkin stated. "But I need time to think about this. I know that you're telling me for the sake of both her and me, but I just am not good enough to make such a decision, especially when it puts the life of someone as innocent and naive as Aisha in danger..."

"That's all I ask, Welkin. That's all I ask." Richard nodded back with a relieved expression.

Kreis then appeared, as he was holding a clipboard in his hands, as Welkin noticed him coming towards both him and Richard.

"Kreis... Any results on that thing I asked you to look into?" Welkin asked Kreis.

"Yes, sir. For starters, this bullet you gave me..." Kreis answered back. "Its shape and marking perfectly match rounds used by an experimental Gallian sniper rifle. It's not the Tornerre, considering that it used the same rounds as standard snipers."

"I see... So Alicia really was shot by someone inside the Gallian Force." Welkin remarked with a frown. "So, any leads on who fired it?"

"...Yes, but I'm afraid that you won't like hearing who it is..." Kreis spoke with a uneasy tone.

"I already told Welkin something like that just before, Kreis. I literally told him to mobilise the only barely-teen soldier as a tank gunner, so whatever you have, it can't possibly be more shocking than what I just told him." Richard countered back.

"Alright... The night before the shooting, records show Lieutenant Landzaat checked out the rifle." Kreis answered, before pausing.

"What!?" Welkin exclaimed.

"Faldio!? Faldio had the rifle with him, which means...!?" Richard stated, before he shook his head. "That can't be all. Tell us more, Kreis."

"It's rare for a tank commander to ask for a sniper rifle, so the clerk remembered him." Kreis continued. "Lieutenant, only two of those rifles exist now. One is confirmed to be locked in the arsenal, and the other was checked out to Lieutenant Landzaat and has yet to be returned."

"Faldio... It couldn't be..." Welkin muttered, before he turned around. "I need to see him. I want to hear what he has to say about all of this..."

"Let me come, Welkin." Richard said as well. "I need to see for myself if Faldio had a reason for this."

* * *

_Inside Faldio's dorm..._

"Hey, Faldio... You in?" Welkin asked, as he knocked on the door a few times, before waiting for a response, only to get none.

"Faldio, it's us. Ensign Rain and Lieutenant Gunther." Richard called out. "We need to see you. Something has happened, and we need your help with it."

When there was still no response, Welkin immediately opened the door, and entered the room, looking around and finding no-one. "Guess not..." He muttered, before he and Richard entered the room.

Welkin immediately started checking the bookshelf on the left side of the room, checking for anything, before finding a few books of interest.

"'Notes on the Valkyrian Race', 'The Anthropology of the Valkyrur'...?" Welkin read out the titles of the books he found. "Maybe he was reading up on the enemy, finding a way to deal with the enemy Valkyria."

Richard helped to search, as he checked the shelves as well, before then coming across something on Faldio's desk, where he found a book with a thick-blue cover and his name written on it. He then picked it up, before opening and reading its contents. Inside was the very diary of Faldio, as he listed important events in his life, including his reunion with Welkin, and how Fouzen was retaken by the joint effort of several militia squads. As he flipped through, he immediately came across something that immediately stopped him mid-turn.

"Welkin... I think you might want to read this..." Richard stated, as Welkin immediately scrambled over, snatching his friend's diary from his hands.

"'Alicia must be made to awaken.'..." Welkin read out aloud, his eyes widening in shock. "What...!?"

Welkin immediately began to read the diary closely, looking for meaning behind every single word written by the hand of his trusted friend.

* * *

_Alicia must be made to awaken. No matter how much I try, I can think of no other way to resolve the Naggiar conflict. _

_I almost wished that I had never joined Squad 7, and Welkin on that expedition to the Barious ruins..._

_I'm convinced that the inner chamber was built to admit only Valkyrur, but the door opened at her touch. That could only mean that the blood of their tribe courses through her veins. _

_Still, I was shocked to find her bathed in that uncanny light, that night in the field. The only other witness I had was Gus Teller himself, who was more surprised about what happened to Rain back then, who was bathed in another kind of supernatural light. Though I doubted my eyes, I never once doubted that light was truly the Valkyrian Blue Flame. I promised Gus that I would never tell anyone about this, and I have kept my promise, even to the moment I write this entry. _

_Ultimately, I had no choice, but to accept the simple truth that Alicia was one of them, and that Rain was a remnant of a history long-disappeared._

_I'd already begun to question all I knew, from that moment. The walls of the temple sanctum were inscribed with the Valkyrur's account of history. History as it truly was, much to my horror._

_We were all taught of the Darcsen Calamity, and how their actions forever scorched the land. _

_But this account told a different story. The Valkyrur invaded the land from the north, slaying the indigenous Darcsen people as they came. Their grasp on ragnite technology and the art of war were vastly superior to that of the natives. They trained the destructive power of ragnite on the Darcsens' land, burned it to ash, without a single tear shed, or a regretful thought. They committed near-genocide of the Darcsens merely because they were in the Valkyrur's path of conquest. They then had the gall to pass the blame for their inhuman deeds off on their Darcsen slaves. Darcsens had borne that stigma ever since, while the Valkyrur became godlike saviours._

_The victors simply rewrote the history books, justifying their man-slaughter and war crimes as valiant deeds... When I read this, I almost had the urge to vomit and cry out to the cruel world for what they have done. Rain, who lost everyone, save for his closest friends, who fought for a country who hated his kind, and helped his squad at every moment, and Isara, Welkin's adopted sister, who only wanted to help her brother fight and win the war, so that peace may come. Both of them... And many more, had suffered a crime that they never deserved in the first place. I almost wanted to bomb the ruins, but I would not dare to wipe out the last link to the true history of the land._

_The Barious ruins promulgate a lie to all but their own descendants as hard fact. And the fact this was meant for the Valkyira scions... I don't know why they wrote the true history for their descendants... Is it because they want their descendants to continue the purge of the Darcsens in their place...?_

_Reading about the true face of these 'saviours'... It had left me with a empty feeling greater than I ever felt before. Yet, at the same time, I cannot help but think of how useful it could be to us now, because now I know the truth, and I will use it to turn the odds in Gallia's favour._

_Since then, I've investigated every text and report on the Valkyrur I could find. They lead me to believe that at least a few scions of the Valkyrur must have survived to this day. All across Europa, these rare individuals live and die unaware of their own nature. But history has recorded rare cases of individuals who had awakened to their powers._

_Their stories share one common thread: all of them suffered grave wounds before awakening. If these accounts were correct, the blood of the Valkyrur stirs at the approach of death. Their power, having slept for thousands of years, bursts alive at one step shy of the end. One awakened, if one of these individuals takes hold of the refined ragnite arms of their ancestors, they make their mark on history as one of the Valkyrurs of old. _

_After I clarified that, I couldn't stop myself. I stole the Valkyrian lance and shield out of the university archive. Supposedly their blood serves to amplify the ragnite's natural power. I have no idea what science lies behind it. Perhaps it's a consequence of their origins in the ragnite-rich northern regions. Regardless, the Valkyria's very life-force calls forth a reaction from the stone, allowing the lance to charge and store energy, then fire it in varying forms. _

_The enemy Valkyria decimated our forces on the Naggiar plains, and I watched as Rain, with his new-found power, stood off against her until his squad managed to capture the base camp, to force her into retreat. If it wasn't for him... Welkin and the others... They could have died entirely._

_Even to this day, I still wonder... What is Rain's power exactly? Is it a variation of the Valkyrian power, born from another source of energy? Or is it something else entirely. Unlike the Valkyria, there has been no notable deeds of Darcsens possessing unbound amounts of power like the Valkyrur... He might be the only one in this generation, that bears this ultimate power. _

_Perhaps... just perhaps... This was the power that stayed the Valkyrur's attempts in conquest. The war lasted for centuries, even for a small country like Gallia. I began to suspect that the Darcsen had their own 'warriors', and Rain was the descendant of one of them. _

_Either way, he almost fainted after the transformation. And that's when I made my decision._

_Rain won't be able to fight her again, in time, so Alicia must awaken... She must. I could not afford to stay my hand on account of ethics..._

_I had the rifle, and I forced myself to use it, because if I don't... Gallia will be doomed._

_I shot her, just enough to make her critically-wounded, but not necessarily fatal. I placed the lance and shield on her unconscious form. I was wracked with insecurity and guilt, hands red with the blood of my best friend's budding love. _

_But as I watched her take down the enemy Valkyria, and turn the odds, that pain turned into hope. I know.. I made the right choice..._

_But at what cost... The fact that I awakened our own Valkyria, just to even the odds...?_

_Rain stabbed himself on his own volition, in order to gain the strength he needed... But Alicia, poor Alicia never had a choice._

_I... I don't know what Welkin would think of me now... Oh, god above... Let Welkin never have to know this..._

* * *

After reading the entire contents of the diary entry, Welkin was left shaking with barely restrained rage, while Richard was completely speechless and stunned.

"All of the... history... was a lie... We... The Darcsens... They never... did..." Richard muttered with shock. "But then... why... why... did this... What did... everyone... die for... then...? For... a lie... A lie...?"

Welkin then clapped the diary shut, before he then threw it at the desk with all of his might, knocking the lamp and globe off violently, causing them to clatter on the ground, as Welkin was breathing heavily and deeply, before he then lost control of himself, already at the edge of his restraint.

"FALDIO!" Welkin screamed with pure rage, as his expression was twisted in a snarl, his eyes filled to the brim with white-hot fury.

"Welkin..." Richard turned around to his livid superior. "Don't tell me... You're going to...!"

"Be quiet, Rain... This is between him and me now." Welkin snarled at Richard. "How could he...? HOW COULD HE...!?"

"Welkin, calm down! This isn't like you at all!" Richard shouted back. "I know why you're angry, but Faldio had his regrets doing so! You can't just simply hate him for doing something he was forced to do! He tried his best to avoid injuring Alicia!"

"He should never done it in the first place!" Welkin cried out loud. "Alicia is not a weapon of destruction, just to be used by others! I refuse to let Faldio get away for using her like that! You told me that her power isn't just for destruction! Well, I'll make sure Faldio gets the message, even if I have to beat it into him!"

"Welkin, don't you dare!" Richard growled back. "If you engage in fisticuffs with Faldio, then you will be severely punished, regardless the reason! If you go in as you are right now, it will only end in blood split! You need to stop trying to get yourself into matters that aren't even yours!"

"Then what about you, Rain..? What about you...?' Welkin asked coldly. "Quite hypocritical that you're doing the same thing that you're accusing me of."

"For the love of...! Welkin, listen to me." Richard answered back with a shout. "Consider this. You forget that I was in cool-down back then. Faldio realised that fact, which factored into his decision. Selvaria is literally indestructible by all means. The best we can do, is to slow her down. We can't even weaken her through focused-fire. Nothing works against her, except another Valkyria, or myself. If Alicia didn't awaken, then what can I do? She'll have nothing stopping her from walking towards the Gallian army and slaughtering it in but a few moments! Then you would be forced to have me fight, otherwise everyone dies. But if I try using this power a second time, I'm likely to die from the backlash, so I would have died, where Alicia would have lived. Tell me, Welkin, what is the better choice, awakening her, or sacrificing me! Tell me, is her life more important than my own!?"

"I... I...!" Welkin fumed.

"Welkin, we are a team, and we stay a team. I'd gladly give up my life to end this war, but I won't let my sacrifice be wasted for something like this!" Richard stated. "Alicia may be ostracised and feared, but she still has us to rely on, and her power isn't a curse, more than its a blessing in disguise. So stop with all of this and accept that Faldio did this for you-"

Before he could finish, a Gallian soldier entered the room, as both of them turned to the soldier, who was unnerved by their presences.

"H-Hello, Lieutenant Gunther, Ensign Rain... Is something wrong?" He asked them both.

"Faldio, where is he...?" Welkin growled back.

"S-Sir! Captain Varrot just called him in. He left only a minute ago." The soldier stuttered back.

"Right, I'm going to-" Welkin stated, as he stomped towards the door.

"NO! I won't let you destroy yourself for this, Welkin!" Richard shouted, as he immediately made for Welkin, charging to knock him down.

"SHUT UP!" Welkin screamed, before he decked Richard in the face with a hay-maker that caught the black-haired soldier off-guard, right in the jaw, sending him flying back, and slamming on the ground, much to the soldier's horror.

While the soldier was stunned, Welkin immediately shoved the soldier aside, before briskly making his way towards the captain's office. The soldier immediately lifted Richard up on his feet, who was clutching his jaw, which hurt a lot, and was bleeding from a split lip caused by the punch.

"Sir.. You alright?" The soldier asked Richard.

"Ooh... Argh..." Richard groaned with pain, as he straightened himself up. "Damn... For a country-boy and a nature-lover, he's got one hell of a hook... Didn't expect that one coming... Hurts like hell..."

"Should I get you to the medic...?" The soldier asked, before moving to support Richard on his feet. "You might be disoriented from Lieutenant Gunther's attack. I'll help you across."

"Many thanks..." Richard slurred back, as his injured jaw made it hard for him to talk, especially with his hand muffling his words slightly. "Damnit, Welkin... You're going to end up getting yourself in a bad situation..."

The soldier and Richard immediately left the room.

* * *

_In the medic's room..._

"There... All done and fixed." Fina stated, tightened the bandage around Richard's jaw. "I think that it's mostly a bruise, but I put this bandage on just for extra precautions. You should still be able to talk, although it will nothing more than a mumble."

"Thanks." Richard muttered back, as he got up.

"Did... Did the Lieutenant really did this to you...?" Fina asked him with a concerned tone.

"Welkin... He's... He saw something... Something... he does not... like." Richard slowly uttered. "Tried to... stop him... But... ended up... with this..."

"It must have been something regarding Alicia's condition in Naggiar." Fina theorised. "Either way, I can only hope that he won't do such a thing again. People might bad-mouth Welkin for this."

"Don't worry... I'll make... sure only... as few... people see this." Richard stated. "See you..."

When he got out of the room, he was met by Isara, who was shocked by Richard's injury.

"Rain? What happened to you...?" Isara asked.

"Why you... came here...?" Richard questioned back.

"Leon told me that you went with Welks. And then I found a soldier, who told me about how he took you back to the medic's room." Isara stated. "Is it true...? Did Welks... really punch you in the jaw...?"

Richard was silent for a moment, before bowing his head. "He didn't... mean it... He was... just too angry... to think... straight." He responded back.

"I... I never thought that Welkin would do this..." Isara stated. "And now he's in a few days of isolation, for badly injuring a officer in fisticuffs. Faldio got relegated to the stockade until further notice..."

"What...?" Richard asked with wide eyes. "What did... Welkin do...?"

"I saw Faldio leave with a far worse injury than you." Isara answered back. "He had a bruised eye, and he was bleeding from the mouth. Welks must be really angry, if he beat him up that badly... What happened to cause Welks to be so angry to Faldio... I thought Faldio was his best friend..."

"It's best... not to ask... You don't... need to know..." Richard sighed with a solemn tone.

"...Alright, I won't ask anymore. I just hope... Welks will come to his senses..." Isara stated, before she left.

'_I hope so too..._' Richard thought back. '_I had to bite my lip to masquerade the bleeding. Still, Welkin's punch hurt, because I didn't expect that one coming at all._'

* * *

_A week later, in the main camp before __Ghirlandaio..._

"Is everyone here...?" Welkin asked.

"No, still no Alicia." Rosie shook her head.

"I already heard from another squad. We're prepping some tracks for a bomb?" Zaka asked.

"That's right. It's a rough one, but this is a critical mission." Welkin answered back.

"Eh, this is the militia. We're used to getting all the bum missions by now." Largo responded.

"Yes, but these bum missions are still crucial regardless. Besides, we still play an integral role to this assault, regardless." Richard stated, his jaw fully healed from before, while Marisa glared at Welkin for the entire duration of the meeting.

"Yeah, yeah. With that settled, there's one question I got to ask you boss." Largo stated. "Alicia's Valkyria powers and all... You plan to use those this time, too...?"

"No, Largo. Of course I don't." Welkin answered back. "I have faith in your natural abilities. Who needs Valkyrur when I've got you all... And then there's the fact that... Alicia refuses to be a Valkyria any longer than she should..."

"Well, if it's her decision, we can't force it on her. Besides we did well without a Valkyria, and we ain't stopping now." Largo nodded.

"We're ready for anything out there, Welkin. After all, this could be the final battle of the war, if we can win it." Gus added.

"Yeah, we're fine. You go be with Alicia, boss. She needs you real bad now." Rosie assured Welkin.

"Alicia... She doesn't know what to do, after everything she went through, Welks..." Isara stated. "If you could help her, she might be able to feel a lot better with you to comfort her about all of this."

"Alright. You all know what you're doing then." Welkin stated, nodding and leaving the room.

"But does he? This is a tough one, even for nature boy." Rosie remarked.

"So? We'll kick Imperial ass like always. We never lost a single man, even in Naggiar and Marberry Shore. And we get better weapon and skill than them, so numbers means eff-all against us." Marisa scoffed. "Speaking of nature-boy, he still owes me a gut-punch after what he did to Rain."

"Calm down, Mari. Welkin already made his apologies to Rain." Sanae told Marisa. "Besides, he didn't really mean to hurt Richard that bad."

"Having Alicia and the boss moping around is a drag for the whole squad." Largo stated with a worried expression. "I hope for everyone's sake, they can pull outta this funk real soon."

"I hope so too, Largo... I hope so, too..." Richard stated, before he looked at a certain girl sitting in the gunner's porch, playfully swinging the mounted machine-gun with a cheery attitude.

Deployed Members: Edelweiss (+Aisha), Shamrock, Rosie, Rain, Sally, Gus, Mari, Remy, Largo, Alicia

* * *

_At midday, the beginning of the operation..._

The team were already prepared for battle, as they formed up into groups beside the two tanks. The new addition was inside the Edelweiss's armoured gunner's porch, as a girl considerably younger than the younger adults and teens of the squad, with brown eyes that showed eagerness and determination, and short brown hair that has been parted in the middle and tied into short pig-tails on the side of her head by blue bands, was holding the MG swinging it around.

"How are you doing, Aisha?" Welkin asked the little girl, who was the new gunner for the Edelweiss. "Are you alright in there?"

"I'm quite okay here, Welkin!" Aisha cheerfully responded back. "Did the nice man Rain tell you to be your gunner? Because I'm happy that I can help everyone at last!"

"Of course, he did." Welkin nodded back. "Just don't be scared. The Edelweiss is a tough girl. She can take the hits for you, so take care of her, as she'll take of you, alright?"

"Yeah! I'll do my best, Welkin! You too, Rain!" Aisha exclaimed with a childish grin, turning to Richard, who blushed slightly at the optimistic look on the girl's face.

"Right, right. Remember what I taught you, Aisha. I'm sure that you'll be the best gunner of the squad, and you'll get lots and lots of praise for it." Richard responded back calmly, with a warm smile

"Aww... It hurts me inside to have a girl fighting the war here... But at the same time..." Sanae remarked, as she smiled as well. "It makes my heart feel so warm, that she cares about everyone so much, that she's willing to fight with everyone."

"Alright, squad, there are three switches that we need to activate, for the bomb train to reach its destination. Let's clear the way!" Welkin declared. "Squad 7, move out!"

He then entered the tank, as everyone immediately prepared to advance on Welkin's orders.

"Foot soldiers, mortars, tanks... They're going to be throwing everything at us." Welkin stated through the comms. "Everyone, stay calm, and move switch to switch safely. Scouts, lead the way for everyone, and scout out any threats ahead. The rest of you, take the left or right path. The Edelweiss and the Shamrock will take the middle path, with Sally."

"Right away, Welkin!" Sanae stated, as she moved close to the Edelweiss, as the others immediately started advancing in their respective directions.

Rosie, Richard, Gus, Marisa took the path to the right, as it led them to a sole Imperial soldier, huddling behind sandbag cover, as they fired at the group, forcing them to break apart to avoid the shots.

"Tch, he's behind cover... Rosie, if you would..." Richard clicked his tongue in annoyance, as he rolled into the nearest patch of tall grass, to shake off the Imperial soldier's aim on him.

"Got it." Rosie responded back, before she immediately charged towards the soldier, zig-zagging on her feet to dodge most of the shots, before she immediately swapped out her sub-machinegun for a portable flamethrower. "Go down!"

She then immediately activated it, as a spark lit in front of the barrel of the small weapon, before it erupted into a stream of blue fire that caught the Imperial soldier, causing them to immediately scream in agony, as the blue flames enveloped them, causing them to drop to the ground, and try to extinguish themselves, only to fail before they were burnt alive.

Marisa immediately made her way in front, as Gus checked the area ahead, before she managed to catch a glimpse of a Imperial tank in her sights, and its radiator was exposed from where she was standing. This caused her to immediately crack a malicious grin, as she readied her weapon.

"Ooh, hey look at this." Marisa told Richard, Rosie and Gus, as they turned to watch her and her weapon. "Now you see a tank..."

She then immediately placed the back-end of the weapon on her shoulder, before she pulled the trigger, as it fired off a large rocket, evident from the black plume of smoke pouring out of the barrel after the shot, as it flew straight at the enemy tank, directly hitting the radiator plates, causing the Imperial tank to explode.

"And now you don't. Ain't life a spectacle?" Marisa quipped with a grin.

"Nothing to be proud about." Gus responded back stoically. "After all, you have done this thing so many times that its already old."

"Fair enough." Marisa huffed.

Reisen, Alicia and Largo went down the other path, as Alicia immediately spotted an Imperial scout hiding in one of the grass patches. She was about to level her rifle to fire at them, before Reisen beat her to it, as she fired a shot into the grass patch. Nothing happened for a moment, before there was the faint signs of blood appeared in the grass patch.

Alicia looked at Reisen with astonishment, considering that she was surprised that Reisen managed to do a kill with her sniper-rifle from such a close range, although she didn't dwell on it for long, as the three of them continued on.

Meanwhile, the Edelweiss and Shamrock were advancing together, as Aisha was rapidly firing off at any enemy foot soldiers she could find, forcing them to either hide behind cover, or be gunned down by her rain of bullets. The Shamrock immediately fired off a mortar shell at a hunkered-down enemy, causing them to fly out of cover, and be shot down by Aisha mid-air.

"Look, look! I can even shoot them out of the air, Welkin!" Aisha remarked with a prideful tone.

"That's nice to hear, Aisha." Welkin stated. "Well, seems to be clear from here-"

Before Welkin could finish, a Imperial Lancer popped out of cover, taking the moment to fire off his payload towards the Edelweiss, as it struck near the gunner's porch, shocking Aisha badly, as she whimpered, before trying to calm herself down.

"Oh crap!" Sanae cursed, as she immediately moved in front of the Edelweiss, preparing her repair tools. "I'll get that fixed! You alright, Aisha?"

"I-I'm fine... So scary..." Aisha whimpered in fear.

"Don't worry. Everyone is here to protect you and the Edelweiss." Sanae assured her, as she finished applying repairs to the Edelweiss, as the lancer was shot down by Richard, who punished them for sticking themselves out of cover for their shot on Welkin's tank, in a series of shots from his Victorie.

Gus immediately moved up to the first switch, which was just ahead, and clear of any hostiles nearby, as he immediately changed its bearing, causing the tracks to switch over.

"Okay, that's the first switch down! Keep it up, everyone!" Welkin praised everyone, as Gus used the moment to take the Imperial camp stationed near the switch itself.

Reisen immediately looked through her scope, as she noticed that on top of the outer walls of the enemy stronghold, was an Imperial sniper, who was looking for any of the squad-members to snipe out. She immediately took them out, before they could do any harm.

Sanae looked ahead, as she could see that the path straight ahead was filled with anti-tank mines, so much that she would find it hard to defuse all of this.

"You might want to take a detour here, Welkin and Zaka..." Sanae warned both tank commanders. "Path ahead is a anti-tank minefield, so I don't think that it would be smart to try barging through there. I don't have enough time to deal with every single mine there."

"That so...?" Welkin stated. "Alright, Zaka, take the left side. And I'll take the right side."

The Shamrock and the Edelweiss then took the other two paths around the minefield, as the squad once again split up amongst the tanks, taking cover behind them.

"Welks, there's bunkers on the outer walls of the fortress. And they seem to be mounted with gatling guns. Some of them even have cannons on them." Isara notified Welkin. "We will need to take caution when moving our foot-soldiers ahead, as well as ourselves."

"Then we'll clear a path for the others." Welkin stated. "Fire a smoke round ahead of us!"

The Edelweiss did so immediately, as Richard, Gus, Marisa moved inside of it, as Reisen took position on the nearby sniper tower, as she readied the Tornerre, providing over-watch for the group.

On the other side, Rosie and Alicia were taking down the approaching Imperial soldiers, who were trying to make an counterattack on the squad, although they were taken down by both their intercepting shots, as well as Reisen's precise sniping. Largo was moving cover-to-cover, as his objective was the Imperial tank guarding the third switch as well.

After a few moments, Richard's group immediately started moving out of the smoke cloud, as he immediately fired off a barrage of shots from the Victoire, that caught the Imperials on the other side unaware, gunning them down with little ease, before they managed to reach the outer walls of the stronghold, where there was a Imperial camp towards their side, and that there was a Imperial tank guarding the third switch in the sequence.

Richard immediately glanced around, and found a ladder that would allow him to scale atop the outer gates of the fortress, before he silently gestured for Marisa to take care of the Imperial tank, while Gus take the enemy camp. With nods from each other, they split up onto their respective tasks.

As soon everyone made their moves, the Imperial cannon bunkers immediately raised their barrels high, before launching mortar shells towards several areas where the squad members were, forcing them to evade the blast radius, and move to another cover, while under the fire of other Imperial soldiers.

After a few minutes of sprinting across the battlefield, Richard immediately made his way to the ladder towards the top of the outer walls, as he climbed up quickly, and getting near one of the enemy cannon bunkers. He immediately stuck his own back against the bunker-wall, as he slid around to where the opening was, as the cannon fired again, this time close to him, almost causing his ears to be temporarily deaf from the booming sound of the weapon being fired.

He immediately twisted the head of one of his grenades, igniting it, before holding it for a few moments, then throwing it just before it exploded, and ducking down. The grenade then exploded in the confined structure, killing off its operators and silencing the mortar. Meanwhile, below on the ground, Gus immediately used his rifle, the Coup to blast the Imperial soldier through the cover, and take the camp near the wall for the squad.

The Shamrock then noticed that there was a gatling turret that was guarding the second switch, as Zaka immediately fired a mortar shell, destroying it, and allowing Sanae to flip the switch. As soon as she did, the gates of small automated checkpoint in front of her slowly slid open, revealing the Imperial tank that was waiting on the other side, as it immediately fired at her, causing her to immediately rush for cover.

Marisa immediately took the moment to get closer to the Imperial tank, as she raised her weapon to blow it up, only to be outsped by Largo, who already was in the proper position to strike the enemy tank from behind, allowing him to get the critical blow that blew the tank. Largo and Marisa looked at each other, as Largo chuckled lightly, and Marisa sighed in a annoyed manner, before she shrugged, and made her way towards the third switch, killing the sole stormtrooper guardian with her weapons, firing the rocket close-range and gibbing the soldier, much to the horror of several squad members. She then flipped it, as the tracks were back to normal.

"Yes! We've hit all three of the switches!" Welkin commented with triumph. "We're clear for the explosives to reach the gates and breach them!"

"Just a moment, Welkin." Richard told Welkin, before there was the sound of another explosion, as the last of the enemy bunkers was taken out. "There, now we're safe to get in. Make the call, Welkin."

"Captain, the switches have been activated. You have a clear path to the enemy gates." Welkin reported to Varrot.

"All right, sending the explosives down! Once we blow the gates, you are to storm in and take out the rest of the enemies!" Varrot responded back.

"Yes, Captain!" Welkin replied back sharply.

Sanae immediately looked backwards, as she could hear the sounds of something running along the tracks, as she could barely see the shape of a train running along it, with several carriages attached to the train's head.

"It's coming...!" Sanae stated. "Anyone near the walls, now's your time to get out of the way! Because I think that this is going to be a real wall-breaker."

"Wait, how powerful are those explosives...?" Richard asked Welkin.

"We assumed the worst, so the Captain ordered the train to be loaded with carriages filled with explosive materials. And with the ragnite-reactor being the detonator, it's going to be large enough to envelop most of the outer walls."

"What!? Oh you have to be fucking with me!" Richard swore, as he immediately ran like hell as far from the detonation point as he could, before the train collided with the wall in a massive explosion. Richard was knocked off his feet from the tremors it sent across the wall, slamming his nose against the hard stony ground atop the wall, and letting out a grunt of pain. "I'm fine... I'm fine...! I just fell from the tremors."

"Operation's complete! The road's open, 7's!" Welkin stated. "Everyone forward!"

Everyone immediately gathered up on the Edelweiss and the Shamrock, as one collective group, before they crossed the gaping hole in the outer walls, and stood within the very inner sections of the fortress itself.

"Great! There's a clear path to the citadel now!" Welkin stated. "Now then, we will start our advance soon-"

"Proud warriors of Gallia, I must commend you." Selvaria's voice could be heard. "You have breached Ghirlandaio's gates, where many of your men have not."

Everyone looked around for where Selvaria was, until they looked up, and saw her standing atop the inner walls of the fortress, front and centre, bearing a weapon with much resemblance to the Victorie in Richard's hand, and without her eerie blue Valkyira aura emanating from her.

"Look up there! The Valkyria!" Alicia shouted, pointing at Selvaria.

"Selvaria...!" Richard shouted.

"We meet again... It looks like fate is toying with us here." Selvaria stated. "You have already defeated me once as a Valkyria. Still, I have come to fight you again. It's a matter of pride. But this time..."

Selvaria then levels her weapon at the group, with a determined expression. "I will face you as a woman. Selvaria Bles, of the Empire's Drei Stern! This will be our last time then. One of us will be the victor, and one of us shall die! Now! Come at me, if you dare!"

In response, Richard levels his Victorie towards Selvaria, with a bold expression. "Then prepare yourself, Selvaria, for this battle will determine who is in the right! Us, or you!" He roared out with all of his voice.

Selvaria was stunned, as she saw that the Victorie was almost similar to the weapon she had, and that Richard was just as determined as her.

"How did you...?" Selvaria remarked, before she shook her head. "No, I cannot underestimate or question your ability. So you are willing to stake your life in this duel between men, Rain. Very well, we shall end this right here and now. I will allow you to prepare, until both sides are able to fight with their all. Until then."

She then immediately turned away, and disappeared down the wall, as Richard looked up to Selvaria.

'_Not going Valkyria...? Well then, Selvaria. You may have given up on having the last fight you deserve..._' Richard thought. '_But I'm going to remind you that your life is your own, not Maximillian's. You will suffer defeat as a honourable opponent, not a helpless soldier._'

* * *

A/N: You could consider the Petard to be an alternate interpretation of the Federation's 'lances' in VC4, which are more like rocket launchers. The thing is about the Petard, is that it has two firing modes. One is the larger-rockets, which function like a standard lance, and the other is the mini-rocket stream, which is meant to be a rapid anti-armour option, thus making it possible to use the latter as interception fire in over-watch.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: A Valkyria's Last Stand and a New Threat

Response to reviews:

-Faldio will live, considering that the butterfly effect already started from the altered outcome of the battle of Fouzen, so good things are bound to happen, as long as Richard and the others are there to smash the events off the rails of canon.

-Yeah, that would be quite expected. But Richard's respect for Welkin has already deteriorated a lot, although he feigned that it was far less condemning towards him, considering that he knew Welkin was most certainly not thinking straight. However, there is one more event that will be the straw that breaks the camel's back, the very conversation that leads to the change of the young 'idealistic and honourable soldier' Rain in VC1, to the 'cynical and stern' Rain in VC2. By the way, I hate to desecrate canonical timeline, but VC2 will be set 5-6 years after the events of VC1. I mean, explain how their child, Isara II is actually able to stand, walk, and talk like a standard child at the age of 1!? Anyway, here's a bit of a preview of that event:

"Welkin, we need to talk."

"Just because you refuse to accept it, doesn't mean that it will just simply disappear."

"Tell me, in all of your honesty... Who will it be. **Me, or her?**"

-Yeah, but don't forget that Aisha passed all of her military training courses at the age of 12. She literally achieved what was considered impossible. Her parents must have been unable to process all of this, and realised that her calling was being a soldier for the country. Some reluctance is shown, but they know that her talents are better placed in the army, than spent having her childhood. What a grim thought for her, huh...? And the possible PR meltdown? Possibly Gallian higher-ups keeping things hush-hush regarding Aisha's true status as a squad member, when she is merely a trainee to the public eye.

-Read a bit about it, and that's what inspired my reply to your second point.

* * *

_Before the gates towards the inner sectors of Ghirlandaio, inside the established base outside the stronghold walls..._

Everyone, including the Edelweiss and the Shamrock, has received supplies, ammunition and other army necessities, in order to prepare them for the battle that lies before them in the inner walls of the fortress.

"So this is our last battle then..." Welkin remarked, as he looked at the inner gates that lied before them menacingly, like a door to the very underworld. "Once we pass through this door, the enemy will fight with us with everything they got. Even the Valkyria, Selvaria is prepared to fight, even if she hasn't transformed."

"Yeah... I don't understand... Why did she refuse to transform, in order to face us...?" Alicia asked, suspicious about why Selvaria wasn't bearing her sacred lance and shield, instead bearing a weapon that seemed so similar to Richard's own.

"Well, if she's that confident that she doesn't need to be a Valkyria to face us, then she and her cronies must have some tricks up their sleeves." Rosie replied back with a wary tone."

Richard was silent at the whole time, as he checked the blade and shield on his back, making sure that they hadn't been taken from him. When he felt them, he then turned back to look at the gates before them.

"Welkin, we'll beat them right...?" Aisha asked, with a unsure tone. "That Valkyria lady seemed to be really serious when she said that she was going to fight us all to the death... I don't want any of you to die..."

"Don't worry about it, Aisha." Gus assured her with a nod and a smile. "We won't go out so easily. After all, what's one Valkyria and her army, considering the odds we have faced before."

"R-Right!" Aisha exclaimed back, as she was determined once again.

Welkin then pulled out his map, as he immediately scanned the details on it.

"According to the intel we have on the fortress, we are most likely to be surrounded from three fronts." He stated the situation of the battle ahead. "Selvaria, if she is the commander, would be lying deeper in the fortress, or atop the central terrace on the citadel centre. We will need to take out the enemies ahead of us, before we split into two groups to deal with the enemies on the other two fronts. Not to mention that we could be under heavy sniper-fire and lancer-fire from atop the terrace as well... Not to mention that any frontal attacks from afar would be most unlikely to even touch her... We need to get close to her, if we want to engage her close and personal."

Welkin then folded the map of the fortress in his hands, and placed it back into one of his pouches, before turning to the active team before him.

"We need to take out their commander and reclaim Ghirlandaio!" Welkin declared. "Squad 7, move out!"

A collective roar raised from the squad, as they immediately made for the inner gates, before they forced them open, and entered the inner section of the stronghold itself, where the terrace was right ahead of them in the distance, although the only way up is to take the stairs up, or use the elevators, which have been deactivated on the other side.

Gus immediately spied out Selvaria, who was standing atop the terrace as Welkin predicted, while Imperial snipers were already taking position and preparing for battle.

"We need for the elevators to be activated, before we can move the Edelweiss and Shamrock to help the rest of you on your ascent towards Selvaria." Welkin relayed to everyone on the comms. "Take caution, the enemy must have plenty of snipers positioned around us, so be careful on how you cover yourself."

Richard looked up to Selvaria, as he locked eyes with her for a moment, before he then charged forward.

"Rain... Wait, what are you doing-" Welkin shouted, before Marisa, Gus and Reisen followed after him. "Where are you all going...!?"

"I need to get to her, Welkin. She needs to be intercepted as quickly as she can." Richard stated. "Because... that weapon I'm holding, is based off the one in her hands. If I don't get to her as soon as I can, she'll personally rain down gunfire on us, no matter where we are. And if she gets sights of the Edelweiss's or Shamrock's radiators... Consider your tank potentially scrapped by her immediately..."

"Sorry, Welkin, but if Rain is charging, so are we. He can't do this alone, so we'll leave it to you guys to handle the other guys for us, alright?" Marisa responded back as well.

"Do not worry about us, Welkin. We will take care of ourselves." Reisen added as well, in a attempt to assure Welkin, although it only make him even more worried.

"Rain... Argh... Sometimes, I wonder why he's so reckless to charge the enemy, and why his friends have his back when he does this..." Welkin complained.

"Well, he's not exactly the kind to run to his death, boss." Largo stated. "Have a bit more faith in him. I'm sure that he'll make sure that the elevator on their side is fixed up, so that you could send one of our tanks to support the rest of them."

"...I guess." Welkin sighed in defeat, before he then cleared his throat. "The rest of you, advance onto the front that Rain and his friends are not targeting! We need to clear out the enemies at the same pace, so that the enemy will be forced into a eventual pincer attack of our own!"

Richard immediately moved towards the western wing of the fortress, as he immediately slid into cover, dodging the shots from a Imperial utilising a gatling turret towards him, before he then popped out of cover when the enemy was letting the mounted gun cool down, taking out the gun operator before he could fire off a second attack. A Imperial sniper from the upper levels, on the terrace tried to aim onto Richard, before Reisen pointed the Tornerre at them, and taking them out with a headshot.

On the other end, Welkin ordered a smoke round to be fired to cover for the advance of Alicia, Rosie, Sanae and Largo, who immediately entered the cloud of smoke, before Largo immediately moved out of it to take out one of the Imperial tanks blocking the path, although not without taking a few shots that wounded him slightly.

Sanae immediately moved over, and used part of her ragna-aid diffuser to revert Largo back to his optimal state, while Alicia and Rosie made their way up the stairs, just as the other groups were doing the same.

Selvaria, who noticed the two groups ascending the stairs, immediately levelled her rifle to Richard's group, before she fired off burst after burst from her weapon, with frighting rapidity and accuracy. This forced Richard and the others to fall prone on the ground, as Selvaria's shots whizzed over their heads, while some of them hit the stone structure that was covering them partially.

Annoyed at her inability to shoot the group in their current positions, she immediately reloaded her weapon and moved across the terrace, to avoid any counter-attack from them, allowing Richard and the others to continue advancing up the western area, as Gus took out one of the lancers that turned around and noticed them, with shots to the body, while Marisa immediately bombed the sniper that was accompanying them with a barrage of mini-rockets that killed the soldier on the direct hits.

Rosie, Alicia and Sanae continued up, as Rosie immediately gunned down the enemy gatling gun that was blocking their way forward, allowing Alicia to move forward and take the enemy camp, just as soon as Gus did the same on the western side.

On both ends, the group seemed to be pinned down by enemy tanks right around the bend, as they immediately activated the elevators, allowing the tanks to move up to the upper levels of the stronghold.

"Elevator's on." Gus reported to Welkin.

"Same here, get on and help us up here! We've got a lot of enemies on our side here!" Rosie responded back just after Gus did.

"Right, Zaka. Assist Rosie and the others." Welkin ordered. "I'll go and help Rain."

"Got it." Zaka stated, as both tanks entered their respective elevators, allowing them to reach the groups and provide assistance. Zaka immediately fired the Shamrock's tank cannon at the Imperial tank, weakening it enough, for Largo to take his shot and destroy it. Welkin immediately dropped another smoke-round, in the path towards the tank, allowing Marisa to sneak into it, and wait for a few moments, before the Imperial tank moved into the cloud, and promptly got surprise-attacked on the radiator by her.

As everyone made their way to the terrace, Selvaria began to show signs of desperation and worry, as her grip on her weapon was shaking slightly, as she could watch from where she was, as the others took the camp, with Rosie and Richard wildly gunning down the base defenders, and Alicia and Gus taking the east and western terrace camps for their squads respectively.

The Imperial tank destroyer immediately made its way towards the Edelweiss, before it was softened up by several of Marisa's mini-rockets in interception fire, before Gus immediately fired his shots and took out the tank destroyer before it could make its attack on the Edelweiss, much to the shock of the Imperial soldiers and Selvaria herself.

Very soon, the Imperial soldiers and Selvaria found themselves at the mercy of the two groups, who reunited in the centre of the terrace level, with Aisha training the Edelweiss's mounted MG turret towards the group of Imperial soldiers, and everyone with their guns up, pointed at the small handful of Imperial survivors.

Selvaria glared at Richard, then at the others, before she then lowered her head, and muttered "Damn you..." under her breath, as the remaining Imperial soldiers immediately looked at their very captors with fearful postures and expressions.

"Surrender now, Selvaria." Welkin stated, as he climbed out of the tank's hatch to speak. "We have you and your men surrounded. Put your weapons down, and we can negotiate about what will happen to you, Selvaria.'

Selvaria turned to Welkin, her hateful glare still strong on her face, as she bared her teeth in helpless anger, before she then threw the weapon down with anger.

"...Very well. I humbly accept my defeat. This battle is over, in your victory." Selvaria stated with a low voice, as she fell onto her knees, while the other Imperial soldiers threw their weapons down in surrender. "Do what you please with me, but allow my men to leave."

Nobody reacted for a moment, before Alicia then lowered her rifle and walked towards the defeated Selvaria.

"Tell me, how do you live as a Valkyria? How do you deal with the weight of that all the time...?" Alicia asked. "Being a weapon of destruction... How could you stand to bear such a burden on your shoulders...?"

Selvaria then raised her head, as she looked into Alicia's, silently gazing into them, before she then stood up.

"I fought, as Valkyria and Drei Stern, because... I have someone I love." Selvaria responded back. "The very person I have loved... is the very man that leads the war against your country, His Grace, Maximilian. But tell me, what is your purpose of becoming a Valkyria...? You weren't the same naive girl that I have encountered in the ruins... What caused you to awaken your own power, for the sake of defeating me...? What is your purpose as a Valkyria...?"

"It wasn't voluntary..." Alicia shook her head. "The truth is, that I never became one, because I wanted to. That time, when I fought you, I was acting on my own instinct. I didn't even know that I was actually fighting you. All I could remember is the very pain that awoken me, and Welkin calling my name, when I fainted in the middle of the battlefield. Even when Rain told me that the power of a Valkyria is able to protect, when it was meant to destroy, like a shield over my allies... not the lance... Now, I still... I still don't know what to do with these powers... It confuses me. It scares me... Because this power isn't even my own, it just feels so... inhuman and unrelatable to me."

"I see.. You bear a heavy burden without the aid of purpose." Selvaria stated with a sympathetic tone. "So I was defeated, by a girl without commitment to a cause... I am unable to determine whether I envy you for your freedom, or pity you for how fate has forced its hand onto you. But it doesn't matter... This is my final defeat, and I will accept whatever end that may come to me."

Richard, who was listening in on the whole conversation, immediately lowered his weapon, and walked over to Selvaria, between her and Alicia, as his expression was stony.

"If this is truly your final defeat... Then why did you refuse to use your Valkyria powers... When this battle was where you staked your all...? Why only now, do you refuse to take the arms of a Valkyria and fight us on even terms...?" He asked in a very accusing tone.

Selvaria didn't respond to that, as she tilted her head away from Richard. "Why does it matter for you...?" She asked back coldly.

"Because I know someone helpless, when I see what drives them through their very eyes." Richard responded back coolly. "You weren't even trying to destroy us back there. You were merely waiting for your own defeat, despite declaring that this battle would be the death of either side. You already given up, because I don't see any spark of defiance in them. You staked everything you had before, to destroy us, so much that you used your own Valkyrian form to fulfill the task, yet it failed twice. What point would there be, for trying without the Valkyria power, if not even that can overcome us...?"

Selvaria kept silent, as everyone was becoming interested in the exchange occurring between the two of them, although Selvaria's lips twitched slightly, as if a pang of emotion sprung out of her.

"I refuse to believe that someone who holds the blood of a proud Valkyrian warrior would so easily give up and lay their weapons down to their enemy." Richard stated harshly, as he walked closer. "Tell me, are you doing this, because you have no other choice, but to allow your own defeat...? That you have finally believed that you have no other value, than to be a pawn of sacrifice for the Empire...? Tell me, Selvaria? What stops you from using your own powers to turn the tables? You annihilated regiment after regiment of Gallian armies. If you are really the Valkyria I fought in Naggiar, then prove it. I refuse to accept surrender, from someone who would so easily throw away their own lives and freedom for some petty purpose!"

Selvaria then growled, as she turned back to Richard. "You have no idea what you are talking about." She snarled at him. "This is merely on the orders of His Grace. I am not to return, on the event of my own defeat. Even if I am to be a prisoner, I will fulfil my purpose to the nation that he will create. I have no reason to waste his resources for something like this. The stronghold is yours, and the Empire's forces have been driven back. What more do you wish for...!?"

"So that's how it is then..." Richard darkly stated. "The Empire abandoned you, expecting your defeat. I think I understand what you're doing here. You knew that even if you were to be defeated, you would still achieve your objective, and yet you still feigned a battle like this. You wanted to be defeated, but not so much that you would die with your men. And that only means one thing."

Richard then immediately whipped out his side-arm from his uniform, pointing it at Selvaria's head.

"Then what if I thwart that as well...?" Richard responded back. "What if I decided to execute you right here and now, without any warning or tell? What would you say or do then, Selvaria?"

"Rain, put that down right now!" Welkin stated. "She's already surrendered, so there is no need to take her life!"

"Be quiet, Welkin. You'll see that she's withholding something from us, something that you are to be very aware of." Richard told Welkin stoically, before he then turned back to Selvaria. "Well then, what is your response, Selvaria? If you are defeated, then someone like you would rather die than be captured. I can grant that wish, if you so liked. But that's not the case, is it? What if I killed you here? Would it change a thing? Would it matter if you lived or died here, Selvaria? You may be a commander, but now, you're merely a pawn for the Empire. You will be remembered by several, if you died here, but your death will not cause anything. It will be merely a marker amongst the millions of fallen in this war. So tell me, what about your life right now is so valuable, that you would choose life over death now?"

Selvaria stared at the barrel of the pistol pointed at her head, as she bit her lower lip, as if she was trying to restrain herself from speaking the truth, as she was struck hard by Richard's damning words. After a few moments, Selvaria immediately pushed the gun away from her head, as Richard immediately loosened his grip on it, causing it to be smacked over the terrace edge. As soon as she did, her expression was one of reluctance and regret, while Rain merely scoffed.

"See? She still has the will to live, even with what I told her, about how living or dying here won't matter a thing." Richard stated to Welkin, with a side-glare towards the aghast tank-commander. "This finally confirms her true intentions: She is planning to use the Valkyrian Flame to take all of us with her. But her target isn't just us... She is planning to take out the main bulk of the Gallian army in one go."

Everyone was immediately struck with fear, except Sanae, who knew about all of this, as they were left speechless, while Richard turned to Selvaria's, whose expression turned into one of hopelessness and despair. "Isn't that right?" He asked her deeply.

"...How do you know of the Valkyrian Flame...?" Selvaria responded back with a weak voice.

"Simple, I deduced it." Richard stated. "In ancient history, there was once a time in history, where a Darcsen faction managed to capture and detain a Valkyrur, and restrain them to the point that they were unable to utilise their own power to escape. Most of what happened didn't matter, but one event stood out, one that has been stated as the reason of how that Darcsen faction was wiped from the pages of history. It turned out that one of the other Darcsen couriers made their way to where the Darcsen faction existed, only to find a massive crater, which has been levelled flat and burnt to black ashes. When the Valkyrur learned of this, they dubbed it the 'Valkyrian Flame'. Up until now, no-one knew how the Valkyrian Flame was used, but once I realised that the Valkyrian side of history had it that defeat was intolerable... I finally understood what happened to that Valkyrur prisoner: They utilised that forbidden power, to turn the entire citadel, or residence of the faction to ashes, along with all traces of the faction's existence."

"But even so..." Welkin stated, as he was still unable to come to terms with the truth. "Then how are we going to deal with this? You're saying that you're going to kill her yourself!"

"That's the only way I can prevent this." Richard stated, before he then turned to Selvaria. "But I won't kill you the coward's way. If you are going to die, Selvaria... Then die like your ancestors did, in a proper, no-holds-barred duel to the death. At least this way, you will die with dignity, honour and respect for fighting to your last breath."

Selvaria was shocked deeply by Richard's words, both because Richard sought to battle her once again as a Valkyria, this time to the death, and because Richard was willing to forgo her execution, for a ordeal by combat."...Why do you intend to do this...?" She asked him.

"Because like I said, this is merely an echo of the great battle between Darcsen and Valkyria." Richard stated. "If you are a Valkyria, then I expect you to either live or die like one. Since you are going to die either way, Selvaria, then I will kill you myself, because as a Darcsen, it is only fair that you are to die fighting the descendant of your lineage's most hated enemies. Or perhaps... because I can see the same pain in your eyes, that I have felt in my own."

"...What do you mean...?" Selvaria asked, as her expression showed genuine surprise.

"...Tell me, Selvaria... Did you know what it feels like to be loved...?" Richard asked back with a sorrowful look on his face.

"...Yes. But that faded long ago." Selvaria answered back.

"...Then you must have felt what I felt. Only that I was never born with such a luxury." Richard responded back. "I never knew my true parents, nor was I even raised properly under them. They left me before a foster family, since they knew that they couldn't keep me longer. I was born without a parent's love. That's why I treated my own adopted family as my own..."

Selvaria didn't speak, as Richard continued on.

"But I lost that family too, when the war began. It was in a Darcsen hunt, that my village was burnt to the ground, the inhabitants slaughtered and killed. The only survivors of that hunt are me and the very friends before me. I hated the Empire after that, and that never changed. Back when I was part of the village, I was discriminated as a Darcsen, but it never weighed down upon me. I only cared that I had a family for me, nothing more. Imagine what it felt like when I had no-one to rely on, for all those years, but my own friends..."

He then chuckled lightly, as a grim smile appeared on his face.

"Perhaps that's why I must have sought you... Both because we share the same kind of pain, the pain of being unloved by the world, and that we're enemies entwined by history itself. Regardless of who wrote the history of the lands, the undeniable truth always remained... Valkyrias and Darcsens... They are fated enemies."

"...Then why do you harbor no ill-will against your own Valkyria then?" Selvaria stated. "Is that not hypocritical of you?"

"...I'm not exactly sure either. Maybe it's because I could never accept Alicia as a Valkyria of the old, unlike you, or that I accepted her regardless of her status, and that I only sought to fight you, because you are my enemy, both in history, and in reality." Richard responded back. "Either way... I want you to fight me with all you got. As long as I live, I won't let you destroy my nation. So if you are really determined to achieve your final victory... then fight for it."

Selvaria looked at Richard, before she then smirked at herself, as if her own fighting spirit was rekindled to fight as a Valkyria once more. She then turned to one of the soldiers.

"You..." She asked them, to which the soldier replied with a 'Yes, Ma'am?'. "Is my lance and shield stored within the citadel?"

"Of course! We would never let you fight without your own lance and shield. We always make sure that you're ready to fight, regardless of who you are, Valkyria, or commander!" He responded back.

"Then fetch them to me." Selvaria stated, before she turned to Welkin. "Lieutenant Welkin? Do I have your word that you will not interfere in this duel to the death?"

Welkin didn't know how to respond, only for Gus to respond for him.

"You have our word." Gus responded back to her. "We know better to go against the wills of two people, who have the power to change the tides of battle by themselves. Besides, its doubtful that we could, even if we wished to. We would sooner be annihilated, if we try to get between the two of you."

Selvaria didn't respond to that, as she and Richard silently waited, before the soldier immediately appeared with Selvaria's lance and shield, while everyone else looked toward him.

"Here you go." The soldier stated, as he handed the items to Selvaria, who immediately prepared them in her hands. "I'm counting on you, ma'am. I'm sure that you'll be able to defeat your enemy, even if he possesses powers like your own!"

Everyone immediately backed away, as Selvaria's aura began to appear.

"So even when you could have killed me so easily, without my lance and shield, you would rather face me in a fight to the death." Selvaria remarked, as her eyes began to glow eerily. "You are, in my opinion, a strange person. You have such military prowess, and yet you cling onto tradition. Such a person like you... I have never seen in my entire life as a general. You are a oddity that, I must admit, brings me feelings that I can't describe in simple terms as 'animosity' or 'respect'. I do not know whether I should be honoured to be given this battle, or curse you for ruining the plans that His Grace has made for me."

"In all honesty, I reciprocate the same feelings back to you, Selvaria." Richard responded back. "You could have easily refused the battle, and yet you are willing to fight one last time as a Valkyria. Perhaps you want to make your mark on the world, with your final struggle, as a true Valkyria of old. I gave you this chance, because I respect you, Selvaria, not as a woman who shares a history of pain like me, but a warrior dedicated to fighting to the cause to the last breath. If I wish to die, then I will die fighting until my life-blood lies on the floor, and my blade and weapon fall out of my hands in defeat. That is the only way that I would ever accept my own death as destiny."

"...So it may be." Selvaria stated, before her lance extended, and the shield immediately unfurled into its full-size. "But the time for words has ended. You have declared this duel on your own accord, and I shall accept it, as my last act as Valkyria. I, Selvaria Bles, Valkyria of the Empire, and First Drei Stern, shall face you with neither mercy or restraint!"

"Indeed. We have no more words. Let our own spirit and weapon display our inner ideals." Richard stated, as he immediately took up the shield and sword, before closing his eyes, and concentrating his power to turn himself into his golden form. "I, Rain Craider, the proud descendant of the Darcsens, and the unrelenting warrior of the Gallian Squad 7, shall hold nothing back against you, and unleash my true might, in respect for your final wishes! Selvaria Bles, your time for your ultimate conflict has come at last! Let us see, after all those millennia, whether Valkyria or Darcsen shall stand victorious over each other!"

The two of them immediately jumped off from the terrace, landing in the larger ground level of the fortress, as the others immediately moved over, to see them land on the ground, standing far apart from each other. As soon as they did, they immediately charged at each other, beginning their destructive duel.

As they clashed weapons for the first time, the conflicting forces of their attacks immediately caused a large shockwave to burst outwards, as it immediately forced everyone to back up, as the strong winds blew them back a few steps, and nearly blind them, as the wind caused the smoke from each of the wrecks to immediately blow sharply towards the direction of the blast, as well as the wind snuffing out the flames on them.

Richard and Selvaria locked eyes with each other, as they maintained their pressure on each other, before they immediately disengaged from each other, jumping back. Richard immediately then dash in a sharp curve towards Selvaria, aiming for her side, as she immediately noticed Richard's attack, and used her shield to deflect his attack, just in the right time to knock his attack aside with a flick.

While he was rebounded by the force of his attack, Selvaria immediately twisted her lance around to thrust at Richard, intending to run him through the chest with the entire length of it, only for him to recover immediately and side-step the attack, before he immediately circled around and slashed at Selvaria, who immediately used one of the blades on her shield to catch the blow, and then push Richard back.

Richard immediately then hopped back, before he then charged Selvaria once again, this time with his shield in front, even faster than before. Selvaria immediately blocked his charge with her own shield, although the force knocked her back slightly, before Richard immediately then hopped back, and then jumped into the air.

"What...!?" Selvaria exclaimed, before Richard then pointed his blade down, darting towards her from above, as she barely managed to block the blow, as she tried to swing her lance at him, while he was still pushing against her shield. Richard immediately used the shield as a temporary foot-stool, as he jumped just above the lance swing, before he then dropped to the ground, and slashed across Selvaria's chest, dealing a severe blow to her, as the blade managed to tear through her reinforced uniform, exposing the skin underneath it, and the large gash, which was healing quite drastically with her awakened powers. "Damn you...!"

She then immediately opted for ranged combat, as she jumped back away from Richard, as she then charged her lance with energy, before she then fired off a series of blue blasts at Richard. He used the shield to block a few of them, before he parried the rest using his blade, and then charged at her. However, Selvaria anticipated the charge, as she immediately crouched down, as a large surge of energy gathered on the tip of the lance, before she fired a clear azure beam at Richard, who barely managed to put up his shield, as it knocked him right into one of the walls, cratering it heavily, with cracks running across quite far from it.

Richard immediately got onto his feet, although his expression was slightly pained from being slammed against the wall, before he noticed Selvaria charging her lance again, before he immediately dodged to the side, as another lance beam shot towards where he was, damaging the structure further. He immediately charged towards Selvaria, while she was recovering from firing her piercing laser.

Selvaria, who was forced into melee combat once again, immediately twisted her lance around, before slamming the tip of the lance into the ground, firing off a azure shockwave that sped towards Richard. He immediately jumped up into the air, before he then raised his leg, and kicked down at Selvaria, who barely managed to guard it with her shield, before he then slammed against it with another blade strike.

She then immediately swung her lance, as Richard used the blade to parry it, before they then went into a clash of blows, as they negated each other's attacks, as the area boomed with each moment of impact between the two weapons. Even with the lighter short-sword against the heavier lance, Richard was still keeping up to Selvaria, as they continued on without any sign of hesitating or slowing down at all.

Often, the two of them would manage to land glancing blows onto each other, although even with how they were fighting, they were evenly matched, as their blows became more and more frenzied with each passing moment, as the frequency of their blows increased, as the entire area began to shake under their mighty clash.

"Holy hell... Look at Rain go..." Marisa remarked with astonishment at how long the two have been fighting each other for, without any moment to catch a breath in their battle.

"I can't even tell who's going to win..." Alicia remarked. "But I can only hope that Rain can win this battle... But Selvaria... Isn't there a way to stop her from using her Valkyrian Flame without killing her...?"

"Doubtful." Reisen rebuked Alicia. "The only theoretical way to weaken a Valkyrian Flame is to exhaust it, if you don't want to kill them. So either way, Rain's success hinges not on the fact of whether he is capable of killing Selvaria right now, but instead on how long he can keep the battle going, and how much of Selvaria's power he can exhaust before he runs out of power himself."

"What!? So that's the real reason he-!?" Alicia squawked, before she immediately snapped her mouth shut.

"...Rain... Is this really what you wanted from the beginning...?" Welkin muttered to himself.

Eventually, the two of them broke away from each other, as they seemed to be quite exhausted, huffing and panting, as their auras began to show signs of waning. As if silently prompted, they immediately straightened their posture, before they then slowly closed their eyes and focused their power, as their auras suddenly began to emanate even more strongly, as they began to spread out from themselves, coating the battlefield in blue and gold light.

"What... What is this...!?" Rosie exclaimed.

"This... This can only mean one thing..." Isara remarked to herself, as she was watching the fight from the Edelweiss's periscope. "They're... they're planning on finishing this battle with a single blow..."

As soon as they finished mustering all of their strength for the blow, their eyes snapped open, as they placed themselves in a position ready to make their decisive blow against each other, although neither of them even twitched, as if they were daring the other to make their move first, and end up getting finished by them. The emanating auras began to pervade on the others, as they could feel the crushing pressure that the two were building up, as they were left silent.

One of the Imperial soldiers was beginning to sweat profusely in pure fear of the feeling that he was feeling, as a single drop of sweat ran out from an opening from his helmet, as it traced down the side, before it reached the bottom of the helmet, as it began to slowly drop due to the gravity enforced on it.

When the drop immediately hit the ground... Both sides immediately moved at a speed that was considered barely visible to everyone watching, as they passed by each other, with their weapons pointed out, and their auras immediately dissolving.

There was silence, as both of them remained standing for a few moments, with their auras barely visible, only a few ethereal wisps protruding from their body. And almost at the same time, both of them immediately fell to the ground, as their respective transformations immediately vanished from them.

"...So that's how it is..." Richard weakly whispered, barely conscious, as the blow from Selvaria managed to take most of his own strength out of him. "...We struck each other with our fatal and decisive strikes... And yet... Neither of us have received any wounds, let alone died..."

"...Argh..." Selvaria groaned, as she tried to push herself off the ground, before collapsing back down. "...So it seems that we are at a stalemate... We are unable to muster up any strength to continue this duel. It seems that we have failed our own ancestors, for such a disappointing outcome."

"Heh heh... I guess I'm not strong enough to kill you..." Richard responded back. "But doesn't it feel right... Facing death when you finally have fought with your all...? That you can finally die with no regrets, knowing that you have fought your last battle as a Valkyria, and managed to lose to someone who respected you as such...?"

"...I do not truly know how to respond to such a odd statement." Selvaria sighed. "But still... You are not wrong. I only wished that I could go further with His Grace. But his final order was for me to use my last breath to bring final ruin to the Gallian Army. Even if this order may be my demise, I will carry it out with my last breath. Perhaps it was a regret of my own, that I could never have used my power, one last time, to fight for the sake of the Empire. But I only wished to face defeat as a human, not as a Valkyria... Because I see no reason to do so... Until you have made me realise that only dying as how I wished, is the only way for me to truly carry out my final wish. Perhaps his Grace expected me to lose to someone like you, so that I could die an honourable martyr. How foolish I was, to have misinterpreted his intentions, even when it was the last time that I would ever come to see him again..."

Richard was silent for a few moments, before he then spoke again. "Selvaria... Do you truly respect Squad 7, who have fought against you and have fought not only for the sake of their country, but also for the well-being of its own members?" He asked. "The way you told me before... Watching your men die must have hurt you a lot. Perhaps like Welkin, you were a mother to your men. There was a time, where I met an Imperial soldier, who was dying. Alicia was there to comfort him in his final moments, and give him a peaceful closure, by portraying his mother. I wonder... if we were never enemies... What would we have been like, Selvaria? Would we have finally been the bridge between Valkyria and Darcsen, had we lived in a world where the Empire never invaded Gallia...? What kind of future do you wish for? One where your nation prospers and brings about order and peace...?"

"...I do." Selvaria admitted with a faint smile on her lips. "And you are indeed correct, I cared for my men. I knew that out of all the militia squads I have encountered, because of your commanding officer, Welkin, and several of you, I knew that only you would be able to give my men the chance to surrender peacefully and live their lives after this horrifying war. And the future... I only wished for a future where no-one would have had to suffer like me. Locked up in the Valkyrian test-labs, as a unloved test-subject. I wanted a future where no-one would have to go through such a thing again, not even the Empire's enemies. The Darcsen hunts were unjustified in my opinion. There was no reason to hate your kind, because of your past. If I could set aside the hatred between Valkyria and Darcsens... I would have done so in a heart-beat. And it was thanks to you that I finally understand what your people are like... You are honourable and just, and willing to fight for the sake of peace, as opposed to the battle-thirsty Valkyrur... Indeed, if only this world wasn't divided by these prejudices... Then perhaps, we would all have a proper life to live..."

"I..." Rain stated, before the sounds of footsteps and engines approached their direction. Through the broken outer gates, a large portion of the Gallian army rolled in, as they were led by a tank that had General Damon atop of it.

"Hahaha! Looks like things are finally looking up for me!" Damon laughed arrogantly, as the soldiers immediately rushed up to Selvaria, as they pointed their guns at her, while Damon got out of the tank. "Looks like your squad is actually good for something! We finally bagged the Valkyria! Excellent work, if I say so myself."

"...General...?" Richard croaked, as he lifted his head to look at the surroundings. "Why are you here...?"

Everyone immediately moved down, as they saw the rest of the Gallian army arrive, as the Imperial soldiers were being kept under captivity by the members of Squad 7, as they made their way down. Damon immediately heard Richard, as he turned his head towards him.

"Oh? Well well, if it isn't the upstart little dark-hair, who thinks that he could get away bad-mouthing me right in front of your Captain." Damon sneered at the downed Richard, before stopping right in front of him. "I actually have to thank you for what you have done, because it was thanks to you, that I managed to get that war-witch."

"She is already defeated... Her lance and shield cannot provide her with anymore power..." Richard groaned back. "She is barely conscious... There is no need to threaten her... She is unable to even make any resistance."

"Silence, you impertinent peasant! You have shamed me once! I will not allow a second time!" Damon roared, as he kicked Richard in the face, causing him to be knocked on his back. Richard groaned in pain, before Damon walked over to him, and bent down towards him. "She uses evil magic, she's dangerous! The only way I'm comfortable with her, is when she's unconscious! Now do it!"

One of the soldiers above Selvaria immediately flipped the rifle in their hands over, before using the butt to strike the back of her head, as she cried in sharp pain, before she crumpled on the ground. Damon then immediately pulled out a side-arm as well.

"You know... I think I know why you are so bold to say that trash right in front of me before." Damon spoke with a eerily calm tone, as he cocked the weapon. "I definitely knew that you used some evil magic of your own to deal with her. So as a soldier of the Gallian Army, I would have you executed for being so insolent to defy my wishes. And not even your little puny squad will be able to do anything about it."

"...What is the meaning of this, Damon...!?" Richard hissed back. "You can't possibly execute me for this...! Letting your own personal grudges be your justification is a petty thing to do-"

Before he could speak more, Damon immediately fired a shot in front of Richard's eye, which silenced him immediately. Damon immediately sheathed his side-arm, and stood up.

"Luckily for you, since you have managed to get my Ghirlandaio, I'll spare your pathetic life. In fact, I wouldn't want to waste such power." Damon remarked. "Because you have secured me my inevitable promotion, I'll show you some good will, and let you continue being a part of your little squad of farm-hands."

Richard didn't respond back, although his expression was of resentment. Selvaria, however, immediately lifted her head, as she wasn't knocked out from the blow from before.

"Please Lord General... In the name of mercy, I beg you." Selvaria pleaded with a submissive tone. "I have something to request from you."

"Huh? So she isn't out yet...?" Damon stated, before he walked over to Selvaria. "Alright then, out with it."

"Do with me what you will." Selvaria declared. "I ask only one thing, spare the lives of the men that have been taken captive, and let the militia escort them to whatever fate you wish for them."

"Hmph. For a insolent war-witch, you actually made a good idea. Rats escorting rats, sounds like a perfect match." Damon chuckled with a condescending tone. "Fine then. Your last wish has been granted."

At that moment, the rest of the squad made their way down, as Damon turned to Welkin, atop the Edelweiss, and pointing at him.

"You! Escort the Imperial prisoners out! I've got more important matters to deal with, such as making my report about my victory over Ghirlandaio!" Damon demanded him.

"It's OUR victory, you bastard! We broke the walls, and we took out the damn garrison, while you arrived and look pretty, you fat and prideful pig-" Marisa cursed him back, before Gus immediately covered his mouth.

"Don't mind her, General." Gus quickly stated, in a attempt to placate the General, who heard what Marisa said, to his offence. "We are merely happy that the mission is complete. Surely, the war should come to an end now."

"Hmph. And I will most definitely get what I deserve for all of this!" Damon stated, before he then pointed at Richard. "Take your filthy dark-hair and get out of my sight!"

Selvaria then looked at Alicia, as she was looking back. "I have found the purpose to justify my life. I don't think there's much chance we will be meeting again." She stated. "That said, I'll admit I am curious. When the time comes to make a choice, what cause will your live finally serve?"

Alicia was shocked, before Selvaria was immediately pulled onto her feet, and taken away by the soldiers, as Damon moved into the fortress, pridefully bragging about his 'victory'.

Gus then immediately released his grip over Marisa's mouth, as she panted heavily.

"Fuck that pig." Marisa cursed darkly. "I hope that he gets his just desserts for this."

"Get in line." Rosie hissed as well. "Damn bastard walks in and takes the credit for this."

"...Let's go..." Welkin remarked, before he turned to the downed Rain, who was being carried by Sanae and Reisen. "Are you alright, Rain...? You did manage to get hurt quite badly in the fight..."

"No actual wounds, although I feel like I've been sledgehammered in the chest repeatedly." Richard responded back. "Just get me inside a tank... I really need something to lie on..."

"I'll prepare a blanket for you to lie on, Rain. Just hold on." Isara stated from within the Edelweiss.

As soon as Richard was loaded on the Edelweiss, the group immediately departed from the stronghold, with the Imperial prisoners in tow.

After a few hours, the group managed to make their way through the outskirts near the fortress, before Alicia then felt something strange, as she turned around towards the fortress just in view, as she could see that there was blue light emanating through the windows on one of the stronghold's towers, as more and more flashes appeared out of it, before the entire tower broke apart, with a mist of blue particles appearing around the tower wreck, before they coalesced and unleashed a massive explosion of azure light that consumed the entire stronghold, unleashing a massive shockwave that blew towards everyone, as the trees were flattened by the immense force.

"Everyone, behind the tanks, now!" Welkin quickly ordered, as everyone did so, as the force managed to push the tanks slightly, although they did shield the soldiers behind them from the harsh winds, before they calmed down.

Welkin moved out of the top hatch of the Edelweiss, as he and everyone gazed at the massive blue shroom-cloud of energy that was left from the explosion.

"The Valkyria... No... Selvaria... She... She actually used the Valkyrian Flame..." Welkin spoke with awe.

"What... That's the Valkyrian's Flame...!?" Marisa exclaimed in complete shock, although she contained the immense excitement and amazement at how powerful the final blast of Selvaria was, catering to her destructive side. "Damn... That's one huge explosion."

"What the!? The whole damn citadel's up and erased!" Largo stated. "I can't even see much of the former fortress even being there!" Largo shouted in pure fear.

"No way...! Is this a part of a Valkyria's power, too?" Rosie questioned no-one in particular.

"The blast claimed all of Gallia's main army..." Welkin spoke with some despair and shock. "She... Rain was right... She never planned to win the battle... She just simply wanted to bring down Gallia's main army with her, in death... She didn't even care if she lived or died... I... I..."

"Selvaria..." Alicia muttered, as there was a sorrowful look in her eyes. "So this is the purpose of your life now...?"

"I don't know who to mourn for..." Sanae spoke with a conflicted tone, with sullen eyes. "The Gallian army, who have been wiped from this very earth without knowing what happened... Or Selvaria herself, who gave her own life to do so, because it was the only thing she could do, because her own Empire abandoned her to die, expecting her to do this..."

The Imperial soldiers immediately looked at the rising magical mushroom-cloud, as they could only utter shaky gasps and trembling breathes. One of them, in particular, staggered in front to see the mushroom-cloud.

"N-No... No... No no no no..." The Imperial soldier muttered, as it was the same one who fetched Selvaria's weapons for the duel, as he was at the verge of tears, from the shakiness of his voice. "Selvaria... Don't tell me you really... You can't have... You can't... Selvaria... Selvaria...!"

The soldier then collapsed onto his knees, as he bent down to the ground, with both of his armoured hands hitting the grounds in closed fists, as he let out a sorrow-filled wail of a cry. "SELVARIAAAAAAAAAA! SELVARIAAAAAA!"

He then fell into loud sobbing, as he clutched his helmet with one of his hands, as he sniffed pathetically and loudly, as Gus could only look at the heart-broken soldier with a pitying look in his eyes.

"Why... Why did it have to be like this...?" The soldier whispered gently. "You were a mother to all of us, and you fought alone at the most desperate of times, for us... Because you cared for our lives in a war that takes them... You may never have admitted it, but I know that deep down, in your actions, that you wanted us to all live to reunite with our families and live our normal lives once again... I never got to thank you for what you did for me... But now... I'll never pay it back... I'll never be able to see you again, as your own engineer..."

Sanae looked at the crying soldier, as she immediately walked over to him with a sympathetic expression.

"I'm sorry for what happened... If it makes you feel better... I wished that she never had to sacrifice herself for something like this..." Sanae told him. "It's just... cruel to use someone's life as a weapon of mass destruction like that, especially someone who actually treated her men with great care, and treated her enemies with respect and equality..."

"...Really...?" The Imperial engineer asked back, as he sniffed once again. "...You... really think like that...?"

"Everyone in this squad hates this war... But we have to fight it, because if we don't, then everything we protected would be laid to waste..." Sanae continued. "We merely wanted to defend our own land... Is that really something wrong...? We never aimed to take over your lands... So this war... It's for no purpose than to cull the living population in conflict... And that's what most of the people hate the most about all of this..."

The Imperial engineer was in silence, as the other Imperial soldiers looked at Sanae with surprise. She immediately placed a hand in front of the engineer.

"What's your name...? I want to know that, so that she will be remembered by your own account..." Sanae asked.

"It's... It's Johann... Johann Oswald Eisen." The Imperial soldier told her, as he took her hand gently, which Sanae smiled to.

"It's nice to meet you, Johann." Sanae addressed Johann in a friendly tone and a warm smile. "I promise you that you will be treated kindly, even as prisoners of war. We promise that you won't be treated inhumanely in the care of what remains of the Gallian army. I can vouch for that if you like."

"I see... Thank you..." Johann thanked Sanae, before he paused, not knowing Sanae's 'name'.

"It's Sally. Sally Westgale of the Gallian Squad 7." Sanae answered back, as she pulled him onto his feet. "I'm sure that one day, there will never be a tragedy like this ever again in the future..."

Johann and Sanae stared into each other's eyes for a while, as everyone looked at the two, with varying reactions, as Rosie is left with a confused expression, while Gus is happy that things are mellowed out between the Imperial captives and the squad right now, Reisen is indifferent, as well as Largo. Welkin and Alicia seemed to be relieved that Sanae's talking managed to help pacify the captives.

Suddenly, the tank's comms immediately buzzed with Varrot's voice. "Lieutenant? Lieutenant!? Come in! We have urgent news from the front!" She desperately called out, attracting the young lieutenant's attention, as he immediately made to respond.

"I'm here, Captain. What is happening right now?" Welkin asked calmly.

"I just got word from Randgriz command. All units are to return to Randgriz ASAP, and prepare for a emergency dispatch." Varrot continued frantically. "An massive unidentified weapon is barrelling through Kloden, en route to the capital as we speak right now!"

"What!? Are you serious!?" Welkin exclaimed with horror, before he growled. "I see... They used Selvaria in order to gut our army's military capability, by destroying the main army, thus most of the force itself, so that they could wipe up the remnants with their own forces, and this weapon of theirs... I can't believe it..."

Sanae and Johann immediately broke contact, as Squad 7 immediately prepared to make a quick march to the capital.

"We're going to need to hurry." Alicia stated. "The sooner we arrive, the more we can prepare for our incoming mission."

"Right." Gus stated, as he glanced at the Imperial soldiers, who immediately returned to their position as escort targets of the squad itself, before then looking forward. "Onwards to Randgriz, full speed ahead then..."

The squad immediately made their way towards Randgriz, without any moment to rest or stop, with the distressing news bearing upon their heads...

* * *

_In Randgriz, a week and several days later..._

"Everyone, we've received intelligence on the weapon coming through the Kloden's forest." Varrot stated, as all of Squad 7's officers, including Richard and his friends, as well as Isara, who stood by to observe. "The report identifies it as one of their most tightly guarded development projects. It closely matches plans for a terrestrial dreadnought, the 'Marmota'. It's heavily armoured, and carries a host of large-calibur cannons. A battleship on legs is the most accurate representation of it."

"Leave it to the Imps... It's one ridiculous tank after the other from these people." Largo sighed dejectedly.

"Furthermore, it is likely that Maximilian is aboard the Marmota in person." Varrot continued.

"Are you serious? How'd he get there so quickly!?" Rosie blurted out.

"He must have already prepared a task force with the Marmota, while we were occupied taking out Ghirlandaio..." Gus suggested.

"Regardless, we need to stop that thing, or the capital will be in danger." Welkin said.

"Danger? Hell, with that thing, it could literally raze Randgriz to the ground if it so wished!" Marisa exclaimed. "We absolutely can't let this thing get past us! But how!? That massive tank back then in the Barious desert doesn't even compare to the one we're facing right now!"

"We'll be cooperating with the Randgriz Royal Guard in effecting Operation Maiden's Shield." Varrot explained. "Our job is to lure the Marmota into a canyon the guard has lined with mines. Beyond the mines, they'll be concentrating all of their firepower to stop it."

"Leading it into a minefield, huh...? So we're the bait." Largo scoffed.

"Unfortunately, yes. With Gallia's army vaporised, this plan is our only option." Varrot replied with regret in her voice. "Once they get out on open land, there's no stopping them. It has to happen in that gully."

"This won't be easy to pull off, Captain..." Reisen stated. "But with no other viable methods, it's the only way we can hope to stop the land dreadnought."

"That is correct." Varrot stated, before she turned to Richard. "On another matter... Ensign Rain."

"Yes, Captain?" Richard asked back.

"In light of our actions, and due to circumstances, you are to be awarded field promotions, as I am currently the highest-ranked officer in the surviving army." Varrot stated. "Rain, you have been elevated to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant, and your friends are now all 1st Sergeants. I expect that you will all do well to use your rank efficiently in combat. This is merely due to how your combat prowess and efficiency has proven greater than your current rank."

"I... I see." Richard responded back with a slightly worried expression, before he turned to Welkin. "I suppose that this makes us co-leaders in this squad then, by rank...? I don't plan on taking your position, Welkin... It's better that you lead the others for the sake of all of us..."

"I understand. Don't worry, Rain." Welkin nodded back.

"Very well, all of you are dismissed, until the dispatch order by the command has been deployed for all remaining units in the Gallian army." Varrot crisply dismissed everyone, as they left one by one, until Richard, Welkin and Rain were the only ones left in the room.

"A land dreadnought... I still can't even imagine... We fought a Valkyria, and we fought against insurmountable odds before... But still..." Welkin muttered to himself with worry.

"Welkin..." Alicia stated, with a melancholic expression on her face.

"Alicia, what's wrong? You look kind of down." Welkin asked, noting Alicia's expression.

"It's nothing. I'm fine! Now let's go beat us up a battleship!" Alicia remarked, with a mock smile and fake optimism, before she waved at both Richard nd Welkin, and left.

"Alicia..." Welkin stated, before he sighed deeply and left the room, with Richard, whose expression betrayed some annoyance and anger.

"Bullshit... You're not alright, Alicia... You are most definitely not alright..." Richard swore under his breath, as he slammed his fist side-ways on a wall, with just enough force to avoid breaking it. "You're thinking that you're the same kind of monster that Selvaria was, on the battlefield... But you're not... You're just lying to yourself, because that's what you truly believe after what you have seen..."

Richard then immediately made for the door, as he looked back in the briefing room.

"Power only makes one a monster, if you let it..." Richard cryptically muttered, as he closed his eyes in reminiscence. "...And there's no-one more aware of that fact... than myself."

He then closed the door to the briefing room slowly, making his way to prepare for the battle to come.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The Marmota, and Jaeger's Final Battle

Response to reviews:

-Well, I do try my best to make Damon a real ass. After all, Richard did try to screw him over mentally, and the only reason Richard didn't get shot through the head, was because Squad 7 would be witnesses, and that said squad managed to take back Ghirlandaio for his own wishes.

-Actually, now that I read it... I feel like a utter moron for not realising it. I might actually have a small epilogue chapter at the end of the VC2 arc, where Richard and the others get to witness the childbirth of Welkin's and Alicia's child.

-Not truly, if Squad 7 testifies that the soldiers had no clue about Selvaria's true intentions to start with, so they cannot be held accountable for the actions of their superior, since they weren't the ones who carried the bombing out, only Selvaria herself. Besides, she DID surrender, truly to the word, and no-one knows how that damn explosion happened. Kinda hard to incite perfidy, when you don't even know who's responsible for it. It's a matter that Selvaria picked her words carefully. She stated that the army are free to do what they wish unto her.

-Well, Welkin's a little too cosy with the enemy, but thankfully, Richard and his friends are here to make him realise he's being a little hypocritical and exaggerating at this point, and make him realise that he doesn't need to bend himself backwards for the well-being of his enemy.

* * *

_In a deep canyon ridge, within the Kloden Wildwoods..._

Deployed Team: Edelweiss, Shamrock, Rain, Vyse, Aika, Rosie, Largo, Alicia, Remi, Mari, Sally, Gus

Alicia and Gus looked through their binoculars, as they looked for any signs of the Empire's land-based battleship, the Marmota, while the others were preparing themselves for combat, stocking themselves full of ammunition for battle, being in a temporary camp that they have made.

"...So let's go over the operation once again." Welkin stated to everyone, holding the area map, as he traced various routes on the map. "We will start our operation at this very place. The Marmota is expected to arrive from north-side, advancing south towards Randgriz. We are tasked with directing the path of the Marmota towards the marked path, luring it into a ambush filled with anti-tank mines and the Randgriz Royal Guard."

"But how will we divert that damn thing, Welkin?" Vyse complained. "That thing won't even be scratched by even the best of our lances right now. So how do we expect to do anything to it...!?"

"The Captain informed us that the area has been set up with large-range explosives. We will use these to our advantage, both in slowing its advance, and blocking off all possible routes ahead." Welkin explained. "The explosives are shock-triggered, so a gunshot will set them off. There's a decent period between the trigger and the detonation time, enough to allow all of us to move out of its range. If we can use the canyon's rock debris to our advantage, then we can do this."

"Welkin! It's here!" Alicia remarked, as she immediately pointed forward, as everyone saw the Marmota in the distance. As Varrot told them it looked like a large battleship, with a flat surface on the bottom. It was loaded all around with armoured cannons and turrets, as well as large main cannons on the front of the mobile fortress. On top of it was a large ship bridge, where the moving mega-weapon was controlled.

"So that's it, huh? They weren't kidding with that battleship stuff." Largo commented with surprise.

"Remember, our mission is just to lead it along. Avoid combat with it, and avoid any gunfire it launches towards all of you." Welkin stated. "And although I know that you may all be aware of this, but keep your distance from it, always! It may be quite slow compared to the massive tank we fought before, but that's no excuse to underestimate its mobility. If you get run over, then there won't be anything left of you to save!"

"R-Roger that." Sanae remarked, with a gulp, considering the size of the Marmota.

"Alright squad, we have to divert that monster away from the capital! Move out!" Welkin commanded, as he immediately entered the Edelweiss, as the squad comms crackled on. "Alright, everyone make your advance, but slowly. We don't know what could lie ahead."

Everyone immediately advanced down the pathway, before they reached a fork, where they saw Imperial soldiers nearby.

"Damn... They really prepared for this sort of thing..." Rosie cursed, as she immediately slammed a full clip into her weapon. "What's your move?"

"We will need to deal with them, along with triggering the explosives." Welkin responded back. "I do believe that there are two nearby. So make sure that you trigger them before we continue advancing."

"Got that." Rosie stated, as she immediately rushed towards the Imperial soldiers, pushing through the gunfire coming her way, and then firing at them. "See if you can handle this!"

The returning gunfire managed to take out the Imperial stormtrooper, before Sanae made her way forward, as she noticed a explosive in her sight. She immediately fired a shot at it, as the ragnite explosives immediately lit on, as the blue glow seemed to pulsate slowly. Gus activated the other explosive, while the others immediately continued on, taking positions to intercept any enemies that could come into their view.

After a few moments of waiting, Imperial lancers immediately made their way, expecting to get clear shots of either the Edelweiss or the Shamrock, although they were shot down by the squad's foot-soldiers, as the massive combined barrage of gunfire took them down before they could even aim their lances.

Behind them, the Marmota managed to get closer to the temporary base that the squad set, as the ragnite explosives began to flash erratically, before they exploded with such force, that most of the cliffside was torn off, broken into very large rubble piles. One obstructed the path ahead, while the other was in the path of the Marmota, as a impediment in its path.

"Good, that should buy us some time, at the least." Welkin stated, as everyone immediately began advancing, before they were stopped by the sight of a Imperial minefield, set within the base before them, as it was filled to every square inch with anti-personnel mines, as well as some anti-tank mines added to the mix. "...A minefield...!? At this point? We need to find a way to get past this... Sally-"

"Nuh uh, no way. I can't defuse that many mines in such a short period of time, Welkin." Sanae refused. "However, I don't think the anti-personnel mines can harm either the Shamrock or the Edelweiss, so we can drive over the anti-personnel mines, to clear the path for the rest of us, and allow me to deal with the anti-tank mines for the rest of you."

"You're right on that... I don't expect you to do this much..." Welkin agreed with a worried tone. "Alright, hop on either tank, and we'll drive you to where the anti-tank mines are."

"Alright, I'll ride on yours, Welkin." Sanae nodded, as she immediately climbed onto the Edelweiss. "Please hurry, the sooner we can get past here, the more time we can prepare for the potential enemies ahead."

"More bad guys? I'll do my best!" Aisha remarked, as she was still the Edelweiss's gunner.

The Edelweiss immediately drove over the swarm of anti-personnel mines, as they went off one by one under the treads of the tank, causing the tank to wobble and shake violently, startling both Sanae and Aisha, as they were pushed up a bit with each explosion. After making a path forward, while the others closely followed the Edelweiss from behind, using the cleared path through the minefield, the tank stopped in front of several anti-tank mines that barred the path forward."

"Righty-then." Sanae stated, before she hopped off the Edelweiss, and pulled out her disarming tools. "Time for me to take care of this small problem-"

"Miss Sally, look out!" Aisha cried out, as Sanae whipped around to see a Imperial stormtrooper preparing to fire at her.

Sanae immediately ducked down, as Aisha swivelled the MG towards the Imperial soldier, and gunned them down.

"You alright?" Aisha asked, concerned about Sanae's safety.

"T-Thanks, Aisha. I'm just grateful that you managed to save me." Sanae remarked, as she immediately started working on the landmines. "I'll just get this done right now."

"Hehe~ You're welcome!" Aisha giggled behind her armoured turret.

Gus watched at the Marmota advanced through the base, as it stopped right in front of the rockslide that the squad created with one of the explosives before.

"It stopped... Our plan is working..." Gus remarked.

"I'm glad it is. Let's get moving, before it takes care of that." Welkin stated, as the last of the obstructing anti-tank mines were disarmed by Sanae, who hopped back onto the tank, as it continued its way forward.

Suddenly, the sound of whistling mortars rang through everyone's ears, as it warned them about the impending attack in their way.

"Everyone move, now!" Largo shouted, as everyone immediately sprinted out of the minefield, weaving through the remaining mines at their feet, before several mortar shells hit several parts of the minefield, causing a huge explosion, boosted by the secondary explosions of the triggered mines.

"Thankfully, we weren't in there. If the mortar explosion didn't do us in..." Marisa remarked. "Then the mines after that would... The entire minefield is basically a 'hit me' spot for large explosives like that, because if even a single mortar hits a mine, then the entire field goes up in explosions... It would be a miracle if even tanks could handle that much..."

Welkin then looked through the periscope, as he saw that there was another fork in the road, and that one of the paths was being guarded by Imperial soldiers, led by a Imperial squad leader, evident from their red armour.

"There's another fork ahead. Just on the right is the path where the ambush is set! We just need to block off the left path, and clear out the enemies on the right path, and our operation will be complete!" Welkin shouted to everyone.

"Got it. Mari, shall we?" Richard stated, as he turned to Marisa.

"Yeah, let's show them who they're dealing with! We're Squad 7, and we are specialised at mowing down all that the enemy can throw at us!" Marisa grinned, as she raised her Petard, before switching it into the semi-auto firing mode.

"I'll take care of the ragnite explosives, Welkin." Reisen said, as she immediately used the Tornerre to activate both sets of explosives on the left path, ensuring that the path would be heavily blocked by debris in time. "It's done."

Richard and Marisa immediately made their way forward, as they immediately fired at the enemies ahead, which only consisted of lancers, and a sniper, as well as said squad leader. The ripping gunfire from the Victorie in Richard's hands, and the devastating salvo of mini-rockets, was all it took to take down the small Imperial squad trying to block their path.

"All done here as well, Welkin. Path ahead is clear." Richard reported back to Welkin.

"Then that should be operation complete! The dreadnought should have no choice but to follow the path that we have set our trap at." Welkin stated. "We need to prepare for any battles that may follow. If we can disable its mobility with the minefield... Then we can initiate a boarding attack on top of the Marmota, and reclaim it."

"Well, guess we'll have some time to prepare, until we see what our results have netted us." Zaka added as well.

Everyone immediately continued their way down, where they were met by the sight of the Randgriz Royal Guard, who lined up a entire platoon of tanks on the other side of the massive and long minefield set ahead. One of the Royal guard members, seeing the group approaching, immediately gestured to them.

"Over here! You can make your way across the minefield around this path!" The royal guard called out, pointing to a small passage that was devoid of any mines, just big enough for a tank to go through.

"Thanks for the information. We managed to divert the Marmota to this path." Richard responded back. "Be ready for it, because it's coming hot behind us!"

The entirety of Squad 7 immediately made their way through the safe passage, where they found themselves far behind the Royal Guard's ambush, right in the open field.

"Well, that should take care of that..." Vyse stated. "Surely, that thing can't possibly handle a hell lot of tanks whaling onto it, as well as thousands upon thousands of mines being detonated under its treads, right?"

"Oh, I'm sure that this should be it for that thing! Together with Vyse baby, and all of us, there's nothing that we can't handle!" Aika remarked.

The Marmota then came into view, as the Royal Guard's tank immediately started firing, as well as the multitude of small explosions occurring under it. However, despite the overwhelming firepower directed at it, the Marmota didn't even seem to take any form of damage, as the tank shells exploded on it, only to reveal mere scorch marks from the flare of the explosions, and the Marmota hasn't even been slowed at all by the large minefield.

"What the...!?" Vyse stated. "That thing... That thing can take that much punishment, and shrug it off!? What is this thing made of!?"

Suddenly, the armoured cannons on the side of the Marmota immediately whirred around to face the tank squad, as they then fired in rapid succession, as they tore the tank battalion, the very ambush, before the very eyes of Squad 7, who were shocked beyond belief.

"Would you look at that... We're raining cannonballs on that thing, and it ain't even flinching. There goes the Royal Guard's tanks..." Largo remarked with a bitter tone, before he sighed deeply. "We gotta have some way to place a dent onto that thing..."

Alicia looked at the Marmota with fearful eyes, as she watched it plowed through the wrecks of the Royal Guard tanks, with not even enough damage to state that the ambush even had any effect, as she bit her lip, holding back any feelings of hopelessness and horror at the events transpiring before her.

"And now it's pretty much clear of the gully." Rosie hissed. "Well boss, what's your plan now? We don't have any-one to support us out here..."

Welkin was left speechless, as he didn't know what to say.

"No wonder of nature up your sleeve to fix this one, Lieutenant?" Rosie asked with a irritated tone. "Come on, we're at the brink of destruction here! Surely you must have some way to take this thing out!"

"Rosie, calm down!" Richard shouted. "Welkin is troubled as it is! We need to fall back further, and try to contact the Captain for another plan-"

Before Richard could continue, Alicia immediately rushed towards the Edelweiss, as she parkoured on top of the tank,before dragging Welkin out.

"Alicia, what are you doing-" Welkin tried to ask, before he was forced out of the tank. "Argh!"

"Alicia, what in the hell are you doing...!?" Rosie exclaimed.

Alicia didn't respond, as she dropped down inside the tank, as Isara's startled cries could be heard, muffled through the tank's hull, before she then came out, holding the Valkyrian lance and shield in her hands, with a determined yet frantic expression on her face.

"Alicia... You're not planning on taking this thing as a Valkyria... right..!?" Gus exclaimed. "Even with that, you can't possibly beat it alone...!"

"Forgive me..." Alicia whispered quietly, before she then summoned up her Valkyria aura, as her eyes turned red and her hair turned white once again, before she darted off the battlefield quickly.

"Alicia... Damnit, I never thought that she was frantic enough to pull off a suicidal plan..." Zaka muttered with concern in his voice. "Someone needs to get her back, before she does anything stupid!"

Richard immediately turned to Welkin, who got up, groaning from falling from the top of the Edelweiss. He then walked over with a appalled expression.

"Welkin... Why is Alicia's lance and shield in the tank...? Why the hell did you bring them...!?" Richard demanded, as his voice became more and more shaky.

"Alicia told me that she needed them... in case that we would have to deal with the Marmota, if the plan fails..." Welkin stated. "But I never thought that she could be so desperate for it... She must be insane, if she is going to fight it alone!"

Richard's expression turned into one of pure disbelief, before he then whacked Welkin on the side of his head with the Victorie. Welkin looked up to him with a stunned expression, as Richard's teeth were grit in anger.

"Welkin, you goddamn idiot!" Richard shouted. "She's not even planning to fight it! She's going to literally pull what Selvaria did, and use her Valkyrian flame to vaporise the Marmota with her!"

"What...!?" Welkin exclaimed with pure horror and fear.

Richard immediately turned around, before he threw the Victorie on the ground, before pulling out the shield, as he mustered up enough of his strength to trigger a partial transformation, as his eyes turned golden, and the shield glowed slightly in his hands.

"Hey, wait, where are you going, Rain!? Don't tell me you plan to-" Largo shouted to him.

"I don't have time to talk! I'm stopping Alicia before she even gets the chance to do so!" Richard roared back, before he then charged after Alicia, with much more speed from his transformation. "Alicia! Stop! STOP!"

Welkin slowly got up, before he then charged after Alicia as well, shouting Alicia's name repeatedly and loudly, as everyone was surprised.

"Boss, not you too! Get back here, now-" Largo was about to bellow, before someone placed a firm hand on his shoulder, stopping him, as it was Reisen herself.

"No, let Rain and Welkin go." She stated coolly. "Right now, Alicia needs someone to comfort her and make her realise that she has value in this world... The reason she's willing to gamble her life to take down the Marmota, is because she can't bear to live with her Valkyrian powers..."

"What the... Are you serious!?" Largo exclaimed.

"I don't lie, Largo." Reisen stated. "I can see it in her eyes."

"Damn..." Largo stated, as he looked at the two males running after Alicia. "So we can only wait for all of this to happen...?"

Alicia immediately made her way near the moving Marmota, before she stopped with a solemn look on her face.

"Forgive me, Welkin..." Alicia muttered, as her voice was layered from her power making a faint echo. "I shouldn't have left. Not without saying goodbye to you first... I've been thinking this whole time, Welkin. Wondering why I was born like I am, a Valkyria, like Selvaria... If only I weren't a Valkyria, things would be just like they were before, wouldn't they?"

She then clenched the lance in her hands, as her eyes hardened. "But no, that is one way. But I have found another. I know how I can give my life as a Valkyria meaning. I can use my power, to stop this thing once and for all. I'll stoke my life's fire into a furious blaze! I'll save you, I'll save Bruhl, my friends, and everyone else in Gallia! Even if it takes my life in the process!"

She then raised her lance, before she then charged at the Marmota at full speed, as it immediately directed its mounted cannons towards Alicia, who used the shield to weather the blasts aimed at her. Richard also managed to make his way through the cannon blasts with his shield, although it had left him with increasingly worse wounds, as the shrapnel from the blasts tore through his body. Welkin, who was not amidst the explosions, was merely blown away by the force, onto the ground, before he got up again, and continued pursuing Alicia.

"I am Valkyria..." Alicia stated calmly, before she then cocked the arm with her lance back. "But I never wanted this! I NEVER WANTED THIS!"

At that cry, she threw her lance straight onwards, as it soared through the air straight like a dart, as it had a blue trail following after it, and the colour of the streaks it made cutting through the air were pure blue. It pierced through the side of the Marmota, before the penetrated hold exploded in a large plume of fire and smoke, as it slowed down considerably, from the severe damage dealt to a section of it.

"I am Valkyria... not a woman... No... that life has ended." Alicia muttered to herself. "Alicia Melchiott is dead. And soon, so shall I..."

She immediately walked forward, as her blue aura immediately flared up, as it turned into a massive ethereal flame that engulfed her entire body, relentlessly walking forward willingly into her own demise, which she chose for herself.

However, before she could move any further, she was tackled from behind by Richard, who knocked her down onto the ground, dispelling the growing blue aura of flames that she was building up.

"Alicia! Stop this! Now!" Richard shouted, as he slowly got up. "You can't do this!"

"Rain... Why are you here? Leave...!" Alicia stated. "I'm destroying the Marmota! Only I can do it."

"And who would allow it!?" Richard yelled back, throwing his arm out in pure outrage. "I'm not letting you do this, Alicia!"

"I'm one life! My death could save a whole country!" Alicia argued back. "So please, let me finish my final duty and-"

Before she could continue, Richard back-handed her across the face with the back of her hand, cutting her off mid-sentence, as she clutched her face. She then looked back at Richard, whose expression was both sorrowful and rage-filled.

"Shut up... You're not just one life anymore..." Richard growled back in a low voice. "You're Alicia Melchiott... Officer of Squad 7, of the Gallian Militia's Third Regiment... The saviour of Bruhl, and Welkin's only love in this world. You can't just die like that, because what will the people who care about you do, if you sacrificed yourself for such a hollow victory!?"

"Rain, I... I can't..." Alicia stated. "Valkyrian blood runs in my veins... And you too... You too possess that power inherited from the Darcsens... You must understand, we're not human like Welkin and the others are... But at least you aren't known for being ones with destructive powers beyond measure, to the point that people worship or fear you like some sort of vengeful deity... I cannot bear this... I can't... I can't..."

Alicia began to cry, before Richard clenched his fists, before he then grabbed both of Alicia's shoulders forcefully, making her look at him.

"So what... So what if you're a Valkyria..." Richard responded back softly, before he raised his voice afterwards. "That doesn't the damn fact that you're still Alicia Melchiott! You can't run away from being Alicia, no matter what kind of power you have, so stop acting like that you hate yourself, because of what you are! That's just pure damn cowardice, Alicia! Running from yourself is the most pathetic thing I have ever seen! Look at me, Alicia! I have the very same powers of destruction I do, but do you see me agonising about the strength given to me!? I'm a monstrosity in the eyes of every single person in Europa, should they know about what I am! I'd become the antithesis of this very land!"

"Rain, I..." Alicia tried to say, although her voice was cracking up, as she was moved by Richard's words.

Richard then lowered his head, as his voice lowered once again.

"Alicia... You're not a monster. Remember what I told you before in Naggiar...? Power is only a resource that is controlled by others." Richard responded back with a firm tone. "Just because you have all this power, doesn't mean that your only choice is to use it for destruction like this. Even though the only times that a Valkyria is of use, is on the battlefield, but that doesn't mean that you can't change yourself. You don't need to shed either your life or your power, just to be Alicia. Alicia the Valkyria, and Melchiott of Squad 7 can either be two people, or a single person, depending on what you choose. Either way, you're still the kind-hearted and idealistic woman that Welkin came to love... You deserve a future like all of us, no matter what happens. You are Alicia, and you always will be, not some Valkyrian deity."

"I... I..." Alicia tried to say, before she then broke down into tears in front of Richard, as Richard then held her close.

"It's alright... You've been through so much, so you deserved better than all of this." Richard soothed Alicia, before Welkin came running over, as he saw Alicia crying.

"Is she..." Welkin asked.

"She's broken down into tears, Welkin. Looks like it's time for you to work your magic on her." Richard responded back. "Come on, show me that you can fix her broken heart."

"Rain... Thank you." Welkin thanked Richard, as the latter let go of Alicia, allowing her to walk up to Welkin with raw eyes from the crying.

"Welkin... I..." Alicia sniffled back

"You're right. It's true that you have powers that we don't have." Welkin told her firmly. "But so what? You're still yourself, Alicia. Kind, bright, a future baker. Alicia, has any of that changed, even after you have became Valkyria? You may be Valkyria, but you're still the same girl I met back then. I can tell that from how much you care about all of us. You mean so much to me, Alicia. I will not let you come to harm, just like this... I will protect you, because I can't bear to let you do this to yourself... I love you, Alicia... and I always did..."

Alicia was stunned, as she gasped softly, before Welkin pulled out a flower with a long stem, before then tied it into a small ring.

"Alicia, once this war is finished, will you be with me?" Welkin asked back, as he placed the ring over her gloved finger. "I would be with you, together. Always..."

Alicia looked at the ring, as tears began to flow from her eyes again, except it wasn't from sorrow or pain, but instead joy, as she smiled back. "Yes, always..." Alicia replied back, before she then walked towards Welkin.

Welkin, knowing what she wanted, immediately pressed forward, as both of their lips touched softly together, as they embraced themselves in a firm kiss, as the blue flames of Alicia's aura wrapped around both of them, although not harming them, as they spiralled into the sky, before they dissolved into a shower of green particles that surprised Richard.

"Woah..." Richard muttered with awe, as he looked at the rain of energy surrounding him, as he immediately dispelled his partial transformation, as his eyes and shield dulled back into their original colours.

Welkin and Alicia then separated from each other, as they gazed into each other's eyes with affection and new-found love, before they were interrupted.

"Whoa! You're making me blush here!" Largo remarked, as the budding couple turned around to see that the rest of Squad 7 saw all of that, and got closer to the action. "But uh, you sure that's wise? You know, this being a combat zone and all?"

"Largo, you big lout!" Sanae sharply cried out, smacking Largo on the back of his head. "Let them have their moment!"

"Uh, hey..." Welkin stated back with a sheepish tone, and slight blush on his cheeks.

"Aww, they look so cute together~" Aika swooned with a dreamy smile on her face. "I can only hope that we could have the same kind of love between us, Vyse baby."

"Yeah, gotta say that I kind of like this confession. Just the right between cool and romantic!" Vyse grinned, with a thumbs-up to Welkin and Alicia.

"I'm so proud of you both, Welks." Isara warmly congratulated both Welkin and Alicia, on having made their love blossom beautifully in those moments.

"Is..." Welkin muttered, before he blushed much harder, as he turned around to hide his red blush, while Alicia was slightly flustered, blushing just as hard.

"Alicia, welcome back." Rosie greeted Alicia, as she gave off a warm smile.

"Thank you... all of you! I missed you so!" Alicia cried, as she was then embraced by Sanae.

"You're welcome, Alicia. We're just glad that you didn't do anything rash to yourself..." Sanae stated back.

"Um, you dropped this on the way, boss." Largo stated, before handing the blue officer beret that he wore, as Welkin immediately took it.

"So, orders now, Welkin? Should we go after that thing?" Richard asked Welkin with a smirk on his face.

"We go to hunt the Marmota. We'll head straight for Randgriz." Welkin stated his orders to the squad. "All right, everyone! Let's get moving!"

"Right then, you heard Welkin! On we go!" Richard exclaimed back, raising his shield up, as everyone let out a cry in response.

* * *

_The following night, on the way to Vasel..._

While the rest of the squad made camp in the area, and have laid themselves to rest, Welkin was still wide awake, as he was making his way silently through camp, before he then stopped at the campfire, that was still lit, as Richard was sitting there, on the ground

"Rain... You said that you wanted to talk to me alone..." Welkin told Richard. "What is it...?"

Richard didn't say anything, before he waited for Welkin to sit down as well, before he then spoke.

"Welkin, we need to talk. And I expect you to take everything I am going to say seriously. I don't care what you have to say in return..." Richard responded back with a stoic expression. "But I've left all of this unsaid for too long. And the last straw is what Alicia did."

"...What are you talking about...?" Welkin asked, as his tone turned dead serious.

"Exactly what you're expecting." Richard answered back, as he leaned forward in the fire. "We need to talk about the fact why you abstained Alicia from using her Valkyrian powers, and yet, you still brought her lance and shield. That kind of thing is quite questionable, if not suspicious, is it not?"

Welkin's response was only silence, before Richard then sighed.

"Don't get me wrong. I believe your reason, but I believed that there was something deeper in the meaning." Richard stated. "But still, if you never wanted Alicia to turn into a Valkyria... Then why did you even bother keeping the lance and shield then? She can't transform if she lacks the weapons. The same case might apply for me, but I'm not testing it out in front of prying eyes."

"...I don't even know, Rain. I truly don't know..." Welkin stated back with a low voice. "I knew that there would be a time that Alicia's powers as a Valkyria would be called into action again, and I..."

"What?" Richard asked firmly. "What would you do in this kind of case?"

"...If it was Alicia's choice, to use her power, then I would still object her actions, but I know that what Faldio told me back then was right to a point..." Welkin remarked back. "And what you said then was true as well. Selvaria couldn't be defeated as a Valkyria, unless it was by the hand of a equivalent force. I knew that you would have taken Alicia's place in the battle of Naggiar, had Alicia not been gravely wound to awaken her powers... While I spent the time in solitary confinement, I came to reflect my actions... Perhaps I was being a little hypocritical myself, because Faldio did what I could never do, because he knew that I wouldn't be able to do such a thing, even if it killed me. So I let him do it for me, and I blamed it on him fully, because I couldn't bear my own squad being used for such things. Perhaps, there are times where her power is the only way to resolve a conflict, for the sake of everyone."

"And now you understand, Welkin. Just because you refuse to accept it, doesn't mean that it will simply just disappear." Richard nodded gently. "Alicia was born as a Valkyrur descendant, fully unaware of the fact, until the recent events... I know it hurts to say, but using her power is the key to bringing this futile war to a close."

"What do you mean... If you're telling me that she should-" Welkin was about to fume back, before Richard raised a hand to stop him.

"Stop there, Welkin. I'm not telling you that Alicia should charge right into the enemy frontlines, and cut the head of the snake. I know that it's a task that is suicidal even for a Valkyria." Richard interrupted. "What I'm saying is that she should utilise her power to drive back the enemy and protect her friends. She has tenacity and strength beyond compare, when she's a Valkyria, so she can use both shield and lance to defend her allies, and take out the enemy armour with her lance. That way, she won't have to use her power to destroy everything, and our allies benefit from her protection."

"But even so... I..." Welkin stated with a conflicted tone. "Rain... Then what about you...?"

"Welkin, I've come to terms with myself." Richard responded back. "I'm not a pacifist, and I never will be, because I have to kill in order to protect. But even so, I don't wish to take more lives than I must. I could have simply transformed and wiped the enemy off the face of the earth within mere minutes. But if I do that, what's to guarantee that I would be there to protect my allies? I use my power to bring my allies out of a perilous situation. Once because my fear of Zaka's death awakened it, once again when Selvaria threatened us, and once more, when I tried to stop Alicia. It's because I possess a power similar to a Valkyria, that I know that our powers aren't just meant for weapons of mass destruction. Valkyrias are capable of being protectors and altruists, as they can be destroyers and tyrants. Alicia can still use her powers to fight, and it wouldn't matter, because as long as she is in control of her powers, she will never be the same as the destructive Valkyrias of old."

Welkin was left in silence for a moment, as he was considering Richard's words.

"Think of it like this." Richard said again. "Remember those Imperial weapon prototypes that we managed to take? That's the same kind of power that comes with being a Valkyria. Can you imagine what a weapon like ours would do, should it be mass-produced? A rifle that can fire a hail of bullets at a far distance, a sniper-rifle that can fire rapid shots, and has a clip big enough to clear out an entire field of soldiers, a scout rifle that has bullets powerful enough to punch through tank armour, and a explosive-launcher based of a lance, that can fire a salvo of rockets that can do the same job as a lancer, except both with greater precision and haste? Welkin, what me and my friends are wielding right now are the pinnacle of weapon technology. We have annihilated every single enemy, save for the Valkyria, with them, and we still continue to use them to this very moment. By your line of logic, such weapons should have never existed, right? And yet you never objected to their creations, because you believed that they would benefit us. Wouldn't Alicia's Valkyrian form be of the same kind of use? Either way... Welkin..."

Richard then pulled out the knife, before pointing it at his chest as a threatening gesture.

"One way or the other, we must make use of every advantage. I can understand if Alicia won't become Valkyria, because she can't bear using ungodly power that isn't even hers, and makes her feel ill in the mind with each use, due to the religious background and destructive history it brought. But if she won't do it, then I will, because I have nothing to fear and nothing to lose using my power to carve a path to victory." Richard stated. "So, tell me, in all your honesty? Who will it be? Me or her? Because one way or another, we cannot afford to lose, even if it means that we have to use every single trick up our sleeves, no matter what."

Welkin didn't speak for a moment, before he then got up. "I'll... need time to consider this." He responded back with a strained tone.

"At least you're doing that." Richard stated. "That's all I ask. But understand that I'm doing this for everyone's sake. What point is there, fighting for a nation, if it doesn't exist anymore, because we didn't do our best to protect it? That's why power is valued in war, because those who have much of it are feared, and rarely disrupted, while those who lack it are discriminated and helpless."

"...About that time before... I'm sorry that I slugged you in the face..." Welkin apologised back. "I never meant to hurt you that badly, that your jaw was badly damaged from my punch... I guess that I underestimated my own strength that time... And I never did say sorry about what I did to you, because you never deserved it."

"It's fine... That kind of grudge passes quite quickly." Richard chuckled. "Besides, at least it was a sobering experience... For both you and me."

Welkin then left, as Richard immediately went back to guarding the campfire, as well as keeping watch for any Imperial soldiers who might try to ambush the camp in the middle of the night.

Deployed Team: Edelweiss, Shamrock, Rain, Sally, Mari, Largo, Rosie, Alicia, Gus, Remy, Vyse, Hector

* * *

_In the city of Vasel..._

The squad immediately arrived into the inner areas of the city, as they looked around for any signs of enemies.

"Welks, we're almost at the Great Vasel Bridge..." Isara stated. "Just a little more, and we'll be able to catch up to the Marmota and stop it."

"Yeah, Is... Once we cross that, Randgriz is just a hop, skip and a jump away."

Alicia then immediately spotted Imperial troops, before she then noticed that there was a familiar tank among them, except it looked far different than before.

"Ah! The enemy is deployed, blocking the bridge!" Alicia exclaimed, as Gus turned around to see them as well.

"Wait... That tank... I recall that we fought it once before... Wasn't that the tank that General Jaeger drove?" Gus commented on the tank, as it had the addition of a mortar cannon on top of it, as well as large heavy armour plating around it, especially around its underside. "It looks like that it has been severely bulked up from the last time we fought it."

Suddenly, the Edelweiss's comms buzzed on, as Varrot spoke through it. "That tank... and the forces with it... That's Jaeger's batallion. Just our luck it's him... At this time..." Varrot stated. "He's lived through more battles under the Empire's standard than I can count. That said, we need to break through him, if we hope to take Randgriz back. He's one of the most renowned tank commanders in the Empire, so he has tank strategies of a calibre that has been never yet seen. However, you of Squad 7 have your own remarkable tactics and strategies, in order to counter whatever plans he has. The entire militia is counting on you, Lieutenant, as well as your entire squad."

"You heard the Captain, our target is to break through the enemy blockade! If we can take out Jaeger's tank, then the rest of his forces should scatter from the morale loss of their commander's defeat." Welkin stated. "Stay sharp everyone, we can't afford to let down our guard and slow down yet! Squad 7, move out!"

Everyone immediately prepared for battle, as the Edelweiss and Shamrock immediately revved their engines and loaded their weapons at the ready.

"From the look of those defences ahead, they really don't want us crossing that bridge." Alicia remarked.

"Yeah, and they set up a bunch of camps. Plus, Jaeger's commanding them. This is not going to be easy for us." Welkin agreed.

"Maybe so, but we haven't given up a single fight. We'll press on and bring him down, no matter what he throws at us!" Marisa stated. "Isn't that right!?"

"Damn right!" Vyse cried out.

"Alright, squad. Make your advance in two directions. Our main focus is to clear out the enemies ahead, and flank the enemy command tank." Welkin ordered everyone.

The Edelweiss then moved northwards, as it then fired off a smoke round in front, obscuring the views of several Imperial troops, including a heavy tank. On the moment that the smoke round dispersed its contents, Alicia immediately rushed into the smoke, followed by Largo. Alicia then immediately used her rifle-mounted grenade-launcher to propel a grenade towards one of the hunkered-down Imperial storm-troopers, as it blew him to death from direct contact with the resulting blast. She then immediately signalled Largo to take out the heavy tank, before she then took out the remaining Imperial soldier defending the nearby camp, while Largo raised his lance, and fired at the heavy tank, striking it right in the radiator plates, causing it to explode, and disperse the smoke cloud. Alicia took the camp, before she and Largo immediately ducked behind cover, to defend themselves against any advancing Imperials. Vyse, Hector and Sanae followed after them shortly, as they too took cover in the sandbags surrounding the base.

On the other direction, as Richard, Gus, Rosie, Reisen, Marisa and the Shamrock pressed westwards, Reisen took position on top of one of the destroyed houses, sniping out a Imperial lancer who was taking cover in the upper levels of a house, hoping to ambush the Edelweiss when it would advance further. She then took out a Imperial sniper, who was taking position to shoot at the other group. The rest of the group continued forward, as they encountered no enemy resistance at all.

The remodelled Lupus immediately made its advance, as it immediately fired a accurate cannon round at the Edelweiss, causing minor damage to it, before it then fired off a smoke round of its own, right in front of one of the camps.

"It can fire smoke rounds as well!?" Sanae exclaimed. "Everyone, be careful! Don't peek your head out, and try to use an explosive to dispel that smoke as quickly as possible, before the enemy can make use of it!"

The rest of the Imperial soldiers advanced, as the northern group fired at the squad members in cover, while dodging any lance or sniper shots that came their way. The eastern group had significantly less luck, as they were gunned down in the narrow streets of the city, by Marisa, Richard and the Shamrock's machine-gun turret immediately tearing them on sight.

The two groups of Squad 7 immediately advanced again, as the Edelweiss fired off another smoke round, this time right in front of the remodelled Lupus, to obstruct its sight temporarily, as the others immediately rushed into the smoke cloud, as they avoided the gunfire coming out of the other smoke cloud, potentially Imperial soldiers. Sanae immediately threw a grenade mid-sprint into the enemy's smoke cloud, as the explosion cleared it out, allowing Vyse to fire his entire clip into the enemy soldiers ahead, as well as Alicia and Sanae supporting him with rifle-fire. This allowed Alicia to take the second camp for herself, as they immediately hopped into cover, just in time for the Lupus to fire a tank shell to dispel the smoke cloud in front of it.

Suddenly, the Lupus turned back, as it immediately made its way to one of the Imperial-owned camps in the area, as engineers immediately started working on the tank, using ragnite cooling reagents on the back of the tank, where the radiator plates were covered by armour as well, much to the surprise of all Squad 7 members who saw it.

"Damn... you got to be kidding..." Largo grunted. "That thing even has a armour plate over its radiator plates...!? How are we supposed to blow it up, if the weak-point of the blasted tank is covered now!?"

"Well, for starters, the engineers actually tried to cool that tank down." Sanae explained. "I bet that because the armour plate is obstructing the normal process of the radiator plates' exposure dispensing excess heat from the tank into the surroundings, it has be cooled off at certain periods. And by the looks of it, that armour plate would sooner or later break apart, if we can hit it enough times. But with those engineers at camp, it's just going to get patched right back up if we try to, unless we can take the armour out before it can get back to repair it..."

"I'll do my best to help you with that." Hector responded back, as he loaded his lance.

The engineers immediately retreated to safety, as the remodelled Lupus returned back to the battlefield, as it immediately fired another smoke round, being in a unreliable distance to fire its tank cannon at the Edelweiss again.

Largo and Hector immediately fired their lances, as they aimed for the armour plates, as the explosions managed to damage them considerably, although not enough to cause them to be shed off. It immediately retaliated with its machine-gun turret, forcing both lancers to duck down into cover.

Richard and his group then takes another Imperial camp, only leaving the one that the Lupus was using to cool down its radiator, and repair itself, before they immediately rejoin the other team on the main road, where they caught sight of the Lupus, and the heavy plating it was covered with.

"Well, ain't that just clever. Placing tank-armour in front of the radiator plates." Marisa scoffed. "Doesn't matter. I'll blow as many plates as it takes to bring this thing down!"

"First, we need to take out the armour, before my Victorie can do anything to damage the tank from the radiator." Richard instructed the group. "Gus, you help as well."

Marisa and Gus immediately assaulted the Lupus from behind, damaging the armour plating even more, as the damage became more apparent and severe, as the plates were begin to have fissures from the pressure and damage dealt to them.

The Edelweiss then immediately advanced, as it fired off a tank shell, that managed to be the final blow to the Lupus's thick armour plating, as the armour plates immediately flew off the tank, allowing the main body of the tank to be exposed, as well as the now-exposed radiator plates. As if it noticed that it has lost its extra armour, it immediately turned around.

"Oh no you don't!" Marisa exclaimed, as she immediately shifted her Petard back into her lance-rocket mode, before she fired the rocket right at the Lupus's exposed radiator plates.

"Looks like this is it for you, General Jaeger!" Largo shouted, as he immediately rushed out of cover, with Hector, as they quickly loaded a rocket onto their lances. "Time for you to lay down and accept your defeat!"

They immediately fired their rockets at the radiator plates as well, as the combined damage from the rockets was too much for the tank, as it immediately grinded to a halt, as it began to spark and burn all over the hull, with dark smoke rising from several gaps in the hull itself.

"We did it...! The enemy tank is neutralised..!" Welkin remarked.

Richard immediately moved over to the Imperial camp, as he prepared his Victorie, to gun down the defenders, only to see them retreat in haste, surprising him, as they disappeared from the camp.

From the smoking wreck of the remodelled Lupus, a person crawled out of the top hatch, before he then landed on the ground. He was a mature man with a stocky figure, brown hair that was tied into a short chopped tail on the back of his head, brown eyes, and a moderately thick beard on his chin. He was dressed in silver plated armour, with a velvet gold and red vest, and a open brown trenchcoat over it. On one shoulder was a clean cow's skull, with long curved horns, and on one side of his waist was a sheathed sword. He also wore black baggy pants, and long grey boots.

When he landed, he saw the soldiers, who had their weapons at the ready, and immediately raised his hand in gracious surrender.

"It seems that I have finally fallen to you." He stated. "I, General Jaeger, admit that you have bested me with both strategy and force."

The Edelweiss immediately came close, before Welkin hopped out of the tank, as Jaeger looked at him with intrigue.

"So, this is the leader of the militia squad that managed to best the Lupus Regnum in combat...?" Jaeger remarked. "I guess that your resolve to fight for your homeland, and protect those you hold dear, has proven to be stronger than the Empire's ambition."

"...Is that so...?" Welkin asked, as he was still unable to relate with Jaeger, before Jaeger immediately walked over, and gave him a firm pat on the shoulder.

"Come on, kid. Why the long face? You managed to break through our little blockade." Jaeger stated with a chuckle, and a casual expression. "Besides, I'm powerless to stop you anymore. So I'm just going to leave the Empire's service. Since I lost, His Grace would definitely sent me to die like Selvaria."

"...Maximilian truly told Selvaria to use the Valkyrian Flame...?" Richard asked with a clipped tone, as Jaeger turned around.

"Yep, not a single shred of remorse on his face. I mean, he never did care really much for the girl. He just simply treated her like a proper subordinate." Jaeger responded back. "But still, that's far better than being treated like a test-subject and a nobody in anyone's book. Maximilian really needs to learn how to treat a lady right, and I seriously doubt that he's going to uphold his side of the deal."

Richard clenched his gun tightly, as his knuckles turned white. "Is that so... What was your deal...?" Richard replied with a slightly more restrained tone.

"For my own country to regain its independence. You see, I'm a tried and true citizen of the country of Fhiraid, who has the displeasure of being one of the few countries to be first absorbed into the growing Empire." Jaeger explained, before he sighed and shook his head. "Unfortunately, back in those times, we didn't have squads and leaders as good as you all, so we had to surrender unconditionally, if we were to even have a Fhiraid to call home. Quite a hypocrite, I am, fighting to trade one nation's independence, for my own... And using force of all things. We're basically fighting for the same reasons, except I fight for the invaders, as a traitor to freedom, while you are the resistance who keep your Gallia away from the clutches of the Empire. In war, the victors are the ones who decide what's right and what's wrong. And since I lost, I have no reason to continue fighting."

"Then what about your men? Where do you plan to go?" Welkin asked the Empire general.

"I'm going to just simply disappear from the war records. I might return to my own nation, but I might also just become a wanderer through the rest of Europa." Jaeger shrugged. "You defeated what remained of my battalion here, after the rest were mobilised to assist the Marmota. I'm already a failure to the Empire, and there's no way that I'll be given any more chances, especially from Maximilian. So I leave you young soldiers to finish the fight for your own nation. Hope that you don't fall as well, I've taken quite a liking to the passion and determination that you fight hard with. With how you are fighting, not even the Valkof and the Marmota alone will not win the war against you, because neither of them can reliably put you all down."

"Valkof...!?" Alicia exclaimed. "You mean the massive Valkyria lance that has been said to be sealed away...!? If they are seeking the lance, then why would that... Oh no..."

"Yep, figured it out, clever lass." Jaeger grimly responded back. "Turns out that inside the royal castle of your capital, lies the Valkof itself. If you don't get moving, Maximilian would have already mounted it on the Marmota. And when it does... Things will get quite hairy."

"Then we have to get moving. Squad 7, we're moving for Randgriz double-time!" Welkin shouted to the rest of the squad-members, as he hopped back into the Edelweiss, as everyone prepared to leave. Before they left, Richard immediately turned around towards Jaeger.

"General Jaeger... I can only wish you that we will never have to meet again as enemies..." Richard told him with a firm nod. "We fought for what was right for each of us, and I cannot consider you a true enemy to Gallia... May the gods bless you on your long journey, General..."

Jaeger watched as the squad immediately left the city, before he then laughed heartily, before departing in the opposite direction.

"...And you." Jaeger muttered silently, before he left the city as well.

"Alright, we've broken through Vasel... We're making good progress, despite the impediment before."

"We're in striking distance of Randgriz now!" Alicia exclaimed with hope.

"Welkin, I'm afraid that I've got some bad news, from command." Varrot reported in through the comms. "The Marmota reached the gates at Randgriz, it plowed through them and into the castle. After that, there has been no response from them as of yet."

"No...!" Welkin growled, as he slammed his fist against the tank wall in frustration. "We're too late..."

"But there is still hope. We are coordinating a counter-offensive against the Marmota, on the path to Randgriz." Varrot stated. "When they arrive, we will engage it, and attempt to disable or destroy it. Until then, make your way to the rendezvous point."

"...Got that." Welkin responded back, as he then communicated with his squad. "Change of plans. We're making our way to a rendezvous point set by the Captain. We are to battle the Marmota when it makes its return trip towards Empire terrirtory, near Randgriz."

* * *

_Before Randgriz..._

Every squad remaining in the third militia regiment, regrouped right in the road to Randgriz, as they were prepared for what may have been the final battle of the entire war.

"We're drawing close to Randgriz now. As for our plan of attack once we arrive..." Varrot instructed the squads before her, as she was standing on top of her own personal tank "Focus your attacks on the spot damaged by Sergeant Melchiott in the previous battle. Exploit that weakness, gain access to the interior and destroy the dreadnought's engine. Everyone follows?"

"Yes, Captain!" One of the other squad commanders saluted back.

"I'm confident you can do this, soldiers. You are dismissed." Varrot stated, as everyone dispersed to prepare for battle, leaving only the officers of Squad 7 alone on the battlefield.

"...Quite a risky operation, Captain..." Welkin commented on the mission ahead.

"I know. I'm worried about morale if everyone feels like it's a suicide mission." Varrot sighed.

"We're used to your crazy missions by now. Aren't we, guys?" Welkin asked everyone.

"Yeah, you bet. Nothing bothers me anymore now." Largo stated. "Turns out being through all of that has made me far better a soldier than before."

"And it helps to know that if we can just win this one, our war will be over." Zaka said.

"We'll do it for everyone who has fallen in this war." Rosie stated with determination. "Right, Isara...?"

"Yes, for everyone in Gallia... We have to defeat the Marmota, and return peace and happiness to everyone..." Isara responded as well.

"One more victory, and this will be it for the Empire! Peace is so near..." Alicia said.

"What about you, Rain and guys?" Welkin asked.

"I'm awaiting the time that the final battle comes." Richard responded back with a bold tone. "Because I will put everything I have to the limit, all for the sake of winning this conclusive battle in Gallia's favour."

"We've come so far, fighting all those battles, and taking back our land bit by bit... We can't just falter here." Gus stated as well. "Welkin... Captain... You have our hand until this very war ends."

"I can't wait to brag that I brought down that mammoth of a tank! Of course, with all of you guys! Either way, I can't wait to see how those Imperial bastards will react, when we flush their ace in the hole down!" Marisa grinned widely.

"You need not ask that kind of question. No matter the odds, no matter the situation, all of us are dedicated to fighting for your cause, until our last breaths." Reisen intoned.

"Don't worry, we'll all make it through this, and when we do... No longer will the dark shadow of war and death hang over our hands like a ill omen... We'll be finally free and happy...!" Sanae exclaimed.

"Words fail me... Thank you, Squad 7." Varrot responded back, moved by everyone's words, as she wiped a tear off her eye.

"Alright, everybody get ready to deploy! We only got a few hours, until the operation begins!" Welkin told everyone.

Irene then immediately walked up to the group, as she looked around to see all the soldiers preparing. "Almost showtime, huh, Welkin?" She asked, as she smiled, with her trusty notepad and pen out. "'Militia Rides into Randgriz Showdown!' Mind if I put you all's story on the radio? I'm afraid I can't go help you fight, but I'd like to do what I can to stand by you. As ace journalist, Irene Ellet!"

"Okay, why not? Our activities are hardly a secret to the Empire at this point." Welkin agreed with a smile. "'Irene Ellet', eh? I can't remember ever hearing your full name like that."

"At least until the war ends and I get married. Then I'll be Irene Koller, just FYI!" Irene answered back. "This'll be my last big assignment as an Ellet. Time to do the old name proud!"

Richard then walked up, before placing a hand on Irene's shoulder, as he gave off a warm smile.

"Knock everyone's socks off, Irene." Richard told her with a encouraging tone. "It's only fitting that this last report of yours will be world-trembling. And boy, will it shake the world around us! Today, the Empire is going to be finally defeated, and Gallia will be free of war and misery once again!"

Irene was stunned for a moment, before she then nodded, as she then entered the Edelweiss, as she immediately turned on the radio system in the tank, and tuning it with the Gallian Radio, and using it as a broadcasting device, while the others made their final preparations.

"News flash from Radio GBS, your source for the news... The Gallian militia has..."

Final Team: Edelweiss, Shamrock, Alicia, Rosie, Largo, Rain, Sally, Gus, Sanae, Homer, Remy, Oscar, Vyse, Hector, Nancy

* * *

_A few hours later, at the start of the final operation..._

The entirety of Squad 7 were on the path, as they slowly advanced down the path, looking for any signs of the Marmota, which could be coming at any moment. Nancy, who noticed a moving dust-cloud in her direction, immediately zoomed in, to see the Marmota and its Imperial escorts.

"M-Marmota sighted ahead, sir! Range, 4-4000 meters!" Nancy nervously reported back.

Gus then turned around, as he spotted the newly-equipped weapon atop the Marmota, which was a large-scale version of the Valkyrian lance, just big enough to fit on top of the tank.

"...That's the Valkof, isn't it...?" Gus remarked.

"Whatever it is... It isn't good news!" Richard stated. "Welkin, we are potentially in its line of fire! We need to evade to the side immediately!"

"A good idea, a Valkyrian lance of human proportions is devastating enough. I can't imagine what a Valkyrian lance like that can do." Welkin responded with worry. "Look out 7's! Clear the Marmota's forward path immediately! Move it!"

The squad immediately deviated off the main path, as they took cover deep in the forest of trees surrounding the path, as they watch the Marmota advance slowly.

Suddenly, the Valkof on top of it began charging, as blue swirls of energy immediately began to spin around the lance, as more and more of them appeared, before the entire weapon was filled with them, before it then lowered itself, as the blue swirls began to grow larger and wider, before it then fired off a large blue blast, that sped through the air, causing the ground underneath the projectile to be engulfed in the destructive azure energy, resulting in massive explosions in the path of the shot, before it then hit one of the faraway mountains, exploding in a large blast and a loud ringing sound.

As Squad 7 weathered the sudden winds created by the explosions, they then saw that the ground hit by the Valkof was scorched black, and there was fires everywhere it hit.

"The Marmota's fired an unidentified beam of light! Squads 4 and 5 has been wiped out!" Alicia reported frantically. "There is no response from them at all! It's complete annihilation!"

"Hot damn... If we didn't duck out of the way, then we would have been big piles of ashes by now, with those squads...!" Largo exclaimed with sheer horror.

"That thing... How could such a thing come to exist...!?" Sanae spoke with horror as well.

"No-one knows, but we'll be the ones to make sure its destroyed once and for all..." Richard responded back. "Welkin! Give the order!"

"Everyone, advance, and sink the Marmota at all costs! Move out!" Welkin commanded everyone, as they immediately pushed out of the forest, and immediately took cover in the small temporary base that the squad have made, in order to allow both cover and ammo supply for the,

"Here we are... Actually squaring off against the Marmota..." Alicia remarked, as she was slightly surprised.

"Yeah... This will really be the final battle. Which is why it is imperative that we win it." Welkin responded back.

"It doesn't matter what they throw at us, we'll beat them down as many times as it takes to allow us to get onto the Marmota and take it down!' Richard shouted.

"Lieutenant Gunther!? Are you alright!?" Cordelia's voice rang, much to the surprise of everyone, who turned around, and saw the Cordelia was hiding within one of the camp's tents, as she didn't have her head-dress, revealing the raven-black straight hair she had.

"Princess Cordelia...!?" Rosie exclaimed.

"The Princess!? What in hell is she doing here!?" Vyse exclaimed. "Your Highness, this ain't the place you should be! We got enemies coming all sides ahead! You don't want to peek your head out at this time."

Richard looked stunned, as he was shocked.

"Y-Your highness.. You're... You're a Darcsen like me...!?" Richard blurted out with surprise.

"Ah... I'm sorry that I deceived you, and never told you the truth, back when you rescued me..." Cordelia apologised. "I am merely glad that you are still alive and well, Lieutenant Rain."

"But what are you doing here, Your Highness? Why are you within our base...?" Welkin asked.

"I managed to escape from Randgriz, thanks to the help of my personal guard. Maximilian sought to sign a treaty of marriage, in order to bind Gallia to the Empire." Cordelia explained. "I know that I may just be in the way, if I come out, but I wish to be of assistance, however I am able. I wish to fight for my homeland, in my own way. Allow me to stand in defence of my homeland!"

"...I understand." Welkin responded back. "We'd be honoured to have your help in the rear guard, Your Highness."

"Thank you. I possess with me the ceremonial lance I have." Cordelia thanked Welkin, before revealing the same lance she usually carried in ceremonies. "For now, I will not stand in your way, but when the time comes, you will find my assistance most useful."

"Here's the plan. Start by focusing our fire on the hole Alicia's lance has made." Welkin stated. "The dreadnought's side is lined with cannons though, so you all need to be careful."

"Roger!" Alicia stated.

"We've come through a lot of tight spots, 7's. So let's add one more victory... Believe in yourselves!" Welkin shouted to rally his men. "I know that we can do this!"

"Of course we can! Who do you think we are, Welkin? We're Squad 7, the militia squad that makes miracles in impossible situations!" Marisa shouted back with a mock-hurt manner.

"Alright, first up, we need to take out the cannons on the side." Reisen stated, referring to the mounted cannons that consisted of both anti-tank cannons and gatling turrets. "And we have to deal with the Imperial escorts as well."

"Largo, Mari, Hector, Gus, please take care of the cannons... The Edelweiss and Shamrock will assist as well, using the depressions on the ground to aim the turret properly at the cannons." Welkin relayed his orders. "The rest of you, protect the ones taking out the cannons, and don't let the enemy get to our camp. We can't afford to allow the princess to come to harm."

"Please, we done it once, we can do it again!" Vyse scoffed, before he then charged at the Imperial soldiers in the westward direction, as he fired at them wildly. "Time for you to go down, punks!"

Richard immediately vaulted over his piece of cover to catch up to Vyse, as they gunned down a small group of Imperial soldiers who were planning to surround the base, as they were torn to pieces by their gunfire.

Meanwhile, Marisa, Largo, Hector and Gus were firing shot after shot at the cannons, not sparing a single moment to rest, while dodging the return fire from each of the cannons, as some of them targeted either tank, in a attempt to destroy them. However, Homer and Sanae did their jobs just as quickly, making sure that the tanks are kept in pristine condition.

The Imperial troops, threatened by the progress of the lancers and Gus, immediately rushed at the camp, expecting to take either of them down. However, the others did a good job at intercepting the enemies, shooting them down, the moment that they walked into sight, as assorted kinds of gunfire brought them to a early grave.

"We're making good progress!" Richard shouted, as he rolled and weaved out of the way of a Imperial tank, allowing him to fire his weapon into the radiator plates of the tank, blowing it to pieces. "Keep it up everyone! The Marmota has only so much defences against us on the sides!"

As the lancers slowly took out the turrets, Marisa immediately focused her attention to the damaged plating, which had several broken strips of metal. She immediately grinned maliciously, before she snapped the Petard into semi-auto fire, before she then aimed at the plating, before firing off the entire clip of mini-rockets in the weapon, causing the plating to finally give way with a rending groan, as a large piece of metal fell, bridging the cap between the alcove connecting to the frontal section, and the side section of the Marmota.

"Welks! We managed to blow open the damaged area on the Marmota's side!" Isara reported. "It seems that the damage allowed us to access the Marmota's frontal section with a path around the side, for out foot-soldiers!"

"Yes! So the plating in that damaged section was vulnerable to lance-fire after all!" Welkin exclaimed. "We can use the fallen metal armour plate to traverse the gap in the side-walk and allow everyone to climb up."

"Yes... And we'll need to destroy the propellers... We need to limit the mobility of the Marmota, as well as weaken its capabilities." Isara dded.

"Then we'll have everyone on foot, to start their ascent up." Welkin stated. "Rain, would you-"

"No problem, leave it to me!" Richard shouted, before he then immediately sprinted across the field, as he immediately started climbing up the side-walk. "Everyone, with me!"

"Wait! Allow me to give you some assistance!" Cordelia cried out, before she then immediately came out, before she then tapped the lance's hilt on the ground, as she began to chant in a language that no-one knew. A green aura began to surround her, before said aura dispersed to everyone, disappearing shortly after. When it did so, everyone felt rejuvenated.

"Woah... Who knew that the Princess got her own tricks..." Largo remarked with awe. "I feel like that I'm a few years younger and just as fit!"

"Damn, I like this sensation of newfound energy!" Vyse laughed, before he then rushed after Richard, in order to join him in taking down the mounted Valkof.

"Alright, the rest of you, make your way to the front of the Valkof. The Edelweiss and Shamrock will stay behind, in order to ensure that the rear flank is protect, and the princess is safe." Welkin called out to everyone.

As Richard climbed up onto the front of the Marmota, he noticed that the heat-sinks of the two propellers was in view for him, although he had Imperial soldiers to deal with, as they spotted him the moment he climbed up. However, before they could react, he immediately shot them down, and reloaded his weapon.

"Alright, time to wreak some havoc! Let's do this!" Richard shouted, as he immediately showered the heat-sinks of the propellers with bullets, as they shorted-out and blew from the damage, causing both propellers to stop, disabling the Marmota's mobility.

However, much to everyone's surprise, the Valkof began to flash, as a barrier appeared around it, before it slowly disintegrated into small flaking hexagon panels.

"...So the Valkof was protected then..." Richard remarked, before he frowned. "So much for defences. It looks like that thing is about to be broken into so many pieces that it will never be used again!"

"It seems that the Valkof's invisible barrier has been destroyed. I expected that there has to be some sort of defence mechanism for the Valkof... At least it's gone now." Welkin stated. "If we can destroy it, then the Marmota is as good as de-fanged! Everyone, gather your fire on the lance's tip, where it is the most weakest and thin!"

As the soldiers came up one by one, they immediately started firing everything they had, as rockets and bullets peppered the large Valkyrian lance from below, as its glow began to falter due to the damage, until finally, the glow disappeared, as cracks began to form on the body of the Valkof, as it had been rendered unusable due to the critical damage it sustained.

"Enemy dreadnought destroyed! I repeat, enemy dreadnought destroyed!" Welkin shouted.

"Excellent work, Lieutenant! Now, we need to disable the Marmota's engine." Varrot praised the group.

"Alright, boarding the Marmota immediately!" Welkin stated, as he then stopped the Edelweiss in front of Cordelia. "Your Highness, it's best that you be within one of our tanks, for your safety."

"Very well, I'll stay within Shamrock, as your squad-mate Zaka, has named it." Cordelia stated, before she then made her way to the Shamrock, as she entered the tank, with some help from Zaka. "Sorry for the inconvenience... I promise that I won't interrupt your operation of your tank."

"Ah, nothing to worry about." Zaka responded back, before he closed the hatch. "I'm just glad that I'm personally escorting the Princess.

Both tanks immediately boarded the Marmota's deck from the frontal ramp, which was already lowered, thanks to Sanae using the control room nearby, as everyone immediately descended, as they prepared for any threats that may still lurk on the deck of the Marmota.

Richard immediately placed the Victorie on his back, before he immediately pulled out his sword and shield, as he looked forward.

"This is it... Today, your twisted ambition, Maximilian... will end here...!" Richard shouted, as he and the rest of the squad prepared for the last battle of the entire war.


	15. Final Chapter

Final Chapter: The Golden and Azure Light of Hope

Response to Reviews:

-VC2 will be the first of the two games done, in the next volume.

-Possibly. Richard and his group aren't exactly strict when it comes to this kind of thing, but he knows that things have their limits, and he WILL educate the Lanseal students that fraternisation only goes so far in a actual war, and tell them that it was exactly because of love, that Alicia almost sacrificed herself, so love is a double-edged sword, as it can bring ruin and sorrow, as much as it brings happiness and peace. In fact, he will tell them that they're free to be married and together, once the war is over, because he tells them that blind altruism leads to a quick death.

-Ever wondered how Cordelia suddenly has the power to heal everyone to maximum, in the mission Marmota's End? To avoid gameplay and story segregation, and considering that Darcsen magic is a thing in the head-canon already... I have it that Cordelia has her own brand of Darcsen magic, which allows her to keep her image as a Valkyrian scion with special powers. In fact, you'll see why she has those powers, and why she went into the Shamrock, in this chapter.

-You'll have to wait and see, Fir100. And sorry, but Vyse and Aika aren't joining the team. You forget that the VC Vyse and Aika aren't the ones from the original timeline of Skies of Arcadia. But I do think it's obvious who's joining, if you haven't noticed the subtle hint pointing to said person. If you don't, then I won't blame you, because it's revealed this chapter.

* * *

_On the deck of the Marmota..._

The entire group of Squad 7 members immediately made their way onto the topmost decks of the Marmota, which was a large long strip, with ramps that ascended to several levels of the decks, as there were hatches that were placed around the entire area, with one in the centre.

"Okay, let's find the engine and kill it." Welkin ordered his men.

"That would be most inconvenient. I will not have rats like you scurry along the deck of my weapon of conquest." Maximillian's voice rang through the area, surprising everyone, as they formed up, and raised their weapons.

"Maximilian...? Show yourself!" Welkin shouted loudly.

Immediately after, Welkin shouted that out, the hatches across the deck opened one by one, as tower-like structures that were fitted with energy coils around them, rose up and appeared, as the sounds of whirring and clicking rang through the deck. They were then followed by the sound of loud metallic footsteps underneath them, before there was another sound of a hatch opening. Maxmilian rose out from the hatch in the centre of the strip, as he was clad only in his silver armour, as in his hands was mechanical versions of a Valkyrian lance and shield. The lance in his hand had a hilt that consisted of curved heat plates, and the entire weapon was lined with heat-sinks along the entire length of the weapon, as well as a large eagle crest of the front of the weapon, and a rectangular barrel, with multiple wires and tubes connecting parts of the artificial lance to each other. The shield had energy coils protruding from the centre of the front side in all 8 cardinal directions, and a quartet of energy coils sticking out of the centre, as well as being connected to pipes that seemed to connect around onto his back.

Maxmilian himself seemed to be different as well, as the exposed parts of his arm revealed bulging veins, and his face also had them near his eyes.

"The finest engineers of the Empire shed both blood and tears to forge this Valkyrian shield and spear." Maximilian stated. "As you will observe, their powers exceed even the originals."

Alicia immediately rushed up with a angered expression. "Stop this!" She cried. "Haven't enough men died? Why are you doing this?"

"Why, We fight for Our dream. Do you not think that reason enough? So many have died for less." Maximilian coldly retorted back. "Besides, We must... Rightful vengeance must be meted out."

"What vengeance...?" Gus asked.

"We were born an Imperial prince, but Our mother was of low station. Our father shunned Us." Maximilian recounted, as he looked to the side, his tone bitter."The other heirs saw Us as a threat to their ascension. They bombed our train when We were but a child. Though We survived by some cruel miracle, the fates were not so kind to mother and the rest. On that day, We swore an oath. We would take the Empire, and the emperor's throne for Our own."

"And how does this relate to Gallia, you upstart nobility bastard!?" Marisa growled back with fury. "All this, just because you wanted some vengeance towards your own dad. I don't know much that sounds more pathetic than the bullshit you're pulling!"

"We care not for you inferior peasants. My only goal in this land was the Valkof." Maximilian snorted derisively. "My only delight in this battle is wiping your ilk from the face of the earth. After that, with the power of the Valkof, the Empire will have no choice but to hand over rulership to Us. Only then, will Our vengeance be complete. And that shall be what We shall do, once you are returned to dust, in a gruesome death."

"Not a chance! We're going to beat you, no matter what kind of shit you hop yourself up with!" Marisa stated. "We have both a Valkyria, and a Darcsen warrior on our side!"

Richard then stepped forward, as his expression was quite eerily tranquil, as his eyes rose up to Maximilian's.

"What is it that you wish to say. Your last words before your own demise?" Maximilian remarked back.

"...So what." Richard stated. "Is that the only justification for your invasion of Gallia...? Mari is right... For such a simple reason, to have brought all of this suffering and death right before us... I pity you, Maximilian, for you are so self-centred that you would enact such a cruel invasion towards a nation that had no hand in your suffering."

"Silence. We have no time for your games." Maximilian hissed back.

"Oh, but what gives you the right to seek vengeance, when the Empire had taken almost everything that I held in precious regard, Maximilian?" Richard asked back with a envious and bitter tone, as he stepped forward once again. "I have lost my parents, I have lost almost all of the people I have lived with in peace and harmony, and I have lost the only home I could ever belong to. I have lost so much more than you, Maximilian, so it should be me speaking those words to you. If I truly was like you, I would have used that weapon to raze every single land under the Empire to ashes with the Valkof. But I am not like you, because I do not possess the same vanity and pride that you so cherish. What makes you more worthy of vengeance than me, Maximilian? Do you believe that just because I am a mere peasant, that my vengeance cannot compare to you...? If that is truly what you think, then you are terribly mistaken."

"...We recall that you said that you judge not the ruler by the actions of his kingdom. Or has your mind become so addled that you do not uphold the words you have spoken." Maximilian sneered back at Richard, with a cruel and arrogant smile.

"I may have said that. I valued you separately from the Empire itself. But things change so easily, and the truth is unveiled to me." Richard responded back, as his expression darkened. "It's quite the opposite, the Empire is like it is, because of your own actions. The slaughter of citizens, the razing of many towns. They were all done under your own command. And you wouldn't even spare your own subordinates from your own cruel ambition, using them as stepping-stones, and disposing of them, when their use has come to an end."

"And what of it?" Maximilian asked back, his sneer disappearing. "I have no care for what comes of my army, as long as it brings about the vengeance that I truly deserve. I am quite astonished that mere rabble like you has managed to defeat my Valkyria, Selvaria, not once but twice. If she cannot bring you down, then she is of no use to me..."

Alicia gasped in horror, as Sanae was left shocked at Maximilian's words. Richard didn't even retort back to that, before he spoke again.

"Now I think I understand... I think I understand what kind of person you are." Richard spoke back in a low voice. "I always wondered if there was someone who possessed the power of a Valkyria, then there would be likely someone who inherited the ambition and mind-set of the ancient Valkyrur. I think that you are the person... While Selvaria inherited their power, you inherited their cruelty and ambition. No wonder you bat not a single eye to the slaughter of innocents, and no wonder you requite not the rapport that your soldiers have given you. The world is merely a board for you, all men pawns before your very eyes. In all of my life... Never have I truly felt disgusted by a person like you, Maximilian, who would claim himself a divine judge upon this earth, and rend all who do not fall under your will to ashes. I understand that my mortal nemesis, as a Darcsen, was not Selvaria... but you, who would commit the same sins as the Valkyrur."

"Do not insult Our grand image, by comparing it to the barbarians of the north!" Maximilian roared with anger.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have compared them to you... Compared to the Valkyrur..." Richard stated with oozing disdain. "...You are far worse, twisting the lives of your own kin, and spreading ruin and destruction wherever you please... There is no worse monster than you, 'Emperor' Maximilian. It would be a pleasure to end your dark ambitions on this very battlefield."

"ENOUGH! WE HAVE WASTED ENOUGH OF OUR BREATH WITH YOU PUNY WORMS!" Maximilian yelled, before he then raised his shield up, as the towers began to activate one by one, thrumming with azure ragnite energy, as they fired off beams of energy right to Maximilian.

When the beams hit him, he immediately grunted and groaned in pain, as the artificial Valkyrian shield and lance in his hands began to glow, and the blue aura of a Valkyria began to surround his entire body, and his eyes became completely white.

"For years, We sought a way to lay Our rightful claim to the Empire. And at last, Our answer has come." Maximilian intoned, with his voice echoing from the sheer energy coursing through him.

"Let me guess... You're talking about the Valkyrur's power." Welkin stated dryly.

"The time for wars waged by men wielding power and steam is fated to end ere long." Maximilian continued, raising his spear up. "The new age will be shaped by emperors, not men. Yes, he who wields the destructive power of the Valkyrur grips the very reins of history! Peasants, let us end this! We shall never stop, not while We draw breath!"

Richard then immediately concentrated his energy, as he transformed once again, this time in full. "Then I shall take your very life, Maximilian!" Richard declared with vigour. "Today, a tyrant and his twisted ambition shall fall, by the blade of a Darcsen who has crawled through the very fields of hell to seek justice for all!"

He then immediately charged at Maximilian with a roar, as parts of the Valkof immediately fell towards the squad, prompting them to move back, as the broken lance pieces created a form of cover for the foot soldiers.

"Up on the Marmota's deck, eh? Nice spot for a final showdown." Largo remarked.

"It's just a shame that the only audience we have here, is the Princess herself." Rosie sighed.

"My Shamrock's chomping at the bit for a piece of this action." Zaka stated. "Don't worry, Your Highness, this battle will be over before you know it."

"I hope so..." Cordelia responded back. "I cannot imagine what Maximilian would do to the land if we were to be defeated here..."

"The Edelweiss is fully functional for battle, Welks!" Isara reported back. "Let's finish this battle and save Gallia!"

"We're all ready for your orders, Welkin!" Alicia responded back.

"We're counting on you as well!" Marisa stated.

"Welkin, can you hear me? I'll fight against Maxmilian, and keep him occupied." Richard told Welkin through the comms. "While he's busy, take down those towers... I don't know if they are responsible for his transformation, but they're mounted with weapons of their own, so destroying them benefits either way!"

"...Alright, I trust you to take care of Maximilian." Welkin accepted. "Let's get started, 7's! Our target is the enemy commander, Maximilian himself! Start with the energy towers!"

Richard immediately jumped towards Maximilian, with his shield in front, and his blade poised to strike. Maximilian merely snorted, before he then side-stepped to avoid the strike, as Richard's blade hit the metallic ground. He then immediately swung his mechanical lance around, in a attempt to cleave Richard, although the black-haired warrior backstepped to avoid the attack.

Rosie immediately moved up, as she got a clear line of sight to one of the nearest towers, as she immediately fired her weapon at the main body of the tower up top, as the shot immediately damaged it enough to cause it to be disabled for the moment. On the other side, Vyse did the same thing with the tower on the other side.

As the disabled towers stopped transferring energy to Maximilian, he immediately began to stagger, as the loss of energy was sudden enough to cause him fatigue. Before he could recover, he found himself slashed across his armour by Richard, as it cleaved through his flesh, although not enough to do any considerable wounds.

"Gngh...!" Maximilian cried in pain.

"Did... Did Rain's attack manage to connect with Maximilian, despite the aura softening the blow...!?" Welkin exclaimed in surprise.

"...I think I get it now, Welks..." Isara stated. "Those towers were transferring energy that was fuelling his artificial Valkyria state! The more of them we destroyer, the weaker his powers become! If we can weaken the towers enough, then even our attacks will be able to do damage to Maximilian! And it'll help Rain considerably in weakening him!"

"Alright everyone, now that you know what those towers do, disable all of them!" Welkin ordered.

"Got it." Reisen stated, as she immediately shot out the tower at the farthest back part of the strip, as Maximilian weakened further.

"You... You mere peasants...!" Maximilian snarled, as he immediately raised his spear, before charging up energy in it, pointing it at the Edelweiss. "You will regret toying with me!"

"Not a chance!" Richard shouted, as he immediately grappled the lance, before forcing it up, causing Maximilian to struggle to wrest the control over the lance from him.

The two of them struggled, as the energy of the lance only grew, before Maximilian could only fire it into the air, in order to prevent the lance from exploding from over-charging.

"In my way... You are always in my way! Begone, you vile pest!" Maximilian screamed, as he immediately smacked Richard across the face with the shield on his arm. Richard was knocked back, stunned by the head-blow, as he was knocked to the ground, trying to regain his footing, while Maximilian charged his lance, aiming to blast Richard with it. "DIE!"

"Not on my watch!" Largo stated, as he fired a lance rocket right in Maximilian's chest, which caused him to stagger long enough for Richard to recover.

"Here, use the smoke as cover from his sight!" Isara yelled, as the Edelweiss fired a smoke-shell right in front of Maximilian, causing him to lost sight of the soldiers.

"Damn your petty tricks...!" Maximilian growled, as he immediately re-positioned himself, before firing into the smoke-cloud. "You cannot escape from me forever!"

The squad-mates immediately dodged away from the beam fire aimed at them, before Richard immediately assaulted Maximilian again with his blade, although this time Maximilian was prepared, as he used the shield to parry the attack, before then firing a lance shot right in Richard's abdomen, sending him flying onto one of the towers, before he slid down, injured by the attack.

"Rain!" Sanae shouted.

"I'm fine...! Deal with the other towers, or his next attack will do you all in!" Richard yelled back, getting up slowly, and jumping back into the fray, but not before coming up and slicing the head off the tower he was knocked into, disabling it permanently.

"I got it!" Marisa said, as she fired a rocket from her Petard, which took out one of the armoured towers, decreasing Maximilian's power.

Rosie, Vyse, Gus and Alicia immediately moved out of the smoke-cloud, as they aimed their weapons at Maximilian as one, before firing off a barrage of shots that all slammed into Maximilian, breaking through his weakened aura and dealing even more damage to him, as he cried once again.

"Gruhaugh! You... You filthy vermin!" Maximilian cried. "You dare think that this is enough to stop Us!? Very well. We shall see how you fare once the power output is raised to its limit!"

Suddenly, the disabled towers reactivated again, and the beams of energy they produced grew larger, as Maximilian's aura began to glow bigger and brighter as well. The shield in his hand began to spark and shake from being overloaded with too much energy, before the coils on it began to explode one by one, finishing with a larger explosions that tore most of the shield apart, and blew it right out of his hands, despite him not being injured by the explosions. He then began to feel intense pain from the increased power coursing through his body, as he clutched his face, and let out a loud guttural cry, as his entire body and aura flared bright azure.

He then immediately jumped back, as several more towers rose from several hidden hatches, as they contributed their own share of energy to Maximilian, who was reduced to heavy breathing and growls. Richard immediately jumped after him, although Maximilian immediately moved towards where Richard was going to land with a speed far faster than Richard, before he then swung his lance right into Richard, sending him flying back through the air, right into one of the fallen pieces of the Valkof, which was heavy enough to stop his flight, although the impact hurt him severely, as he coughed out some blood from internal bleeding.

"Argh...! Ow... Fuck..." Richard swore, as he used his own blade to get himself standing back on his feet. "Welkin... Now's the time to get rid of those towers...! He's going to tear me limb to limb at this rate!"

"We're working on it! Just hold out a little longer!" Welkin shouted back.

Maximilian immediately walked towards the group, as they tried to fight back, although the shots did nothing, with the enhanced aura that was coating him at the moment. He immediately raised his artificial lance to the skies.

"Filthy vermin... I shall cleanse you from this very earth!" Maximilian chanted, as his lance began to gather even more energy, as a halo of red energy circled around his lance, before it then broke into a massive blast that spread out across almost half of the battlefield, as the blast caused everyone to be knocked onto the ground, as the blinding blast of energy seared through their armour, and into their own flesh.

Inside the Edelweiss's MG turret, Aisha was horrified by how everyone was being crushed by Maximilian's berserk power, before it turned into rage and determination, as she immediately swivelled the turret around, and fired off a barrage of shots.

"Leave them all alone, you monster!" Aisha cried, as she didn't stop firing, even though her shots are doing nothing.

"Impudent runt...! I shall personally execute you for your insolence!" Maximilian threatened, as he pointed his lance right at the Edelweiss, as he then charged up another beam-blast, before firing it directly at the front of the Edelweiss, as the shot managed to hit the armoured gunner's nest, even though not directly. The result was Aisha screaming in agony, as the beam burnt her badly, and she fainted from the pain, and the Edelweiss was severely damaged, as the beam managed to melt the treads of the tank to slag.

"Severe damage...! We need repairs immediately!" Welkin stated. "The treads have been melted, and we'll be a sitting duck at this rate!"

Reisen immediately raised her rifle, as she managed to take out three more towers, although that didn't do enough to weaken Maximilian at all.

Maximilian slowly walked towards the injured squad, before he then raised his lance to prepare another area-wide blast, before he was interrupted by Richard ramming his side with the shield.

"No!" Richard yelled out, as he immediately smashed his blade against Maximilian, although he wasn't doing much, and Maximilian was only flinching slightly.

As Richard swung down again, Maximilian immediately used his lance to block the blow, before he then used his other arm to sock Richard right in the face hard enough to break bone, causing him to stagger backwards, before Maximilian immediately fired a barrage of rapid laser blasts point-blank, causing him great agony and pain, as his body was damaged heavily by the shots.

Alicia slowly got up, while Maximilian continued to blast Richard, who had fallen down on the ground, as she looked in despair.

"No... Is this really how this all ends...!?" Alicia exclaimed. "It can't be like this... We have to win... If Maximilian wins... then... then all of Europa will be consumed in flames!"

Suddenly, she saw her Valkyrian shield drop beside her, as she immediately picked it up, and turned back to see that Welkin and Isara was out of the hatch.

"Alicia... Please.. you need to use your power to fight once again...!" Welkin stated.

"Please Alicia... We need you to fight once again as a Valkyria! We need to defeat Maximilian here and now!" Isara shouted as well.

Alicia looked at the duo, who were begging her to use her inner Valkyria power, and then back at Richard, who was beginning to break down from the continuous attacks that Maximilian was firing onto him, as he could only groan in pain.

"Long have We waited for the moment to end your squad by Our hands." Maximilian stated, before he stopped firing, and started using the lance to bludgeon Richard repeatedly. "You have been a great inconvenience to Us. So rejoice, for you will be the first to fall before the new power We possess!'

Alicia immediately picked up her shield, as she tried to summon up her power, although she could only gather so much.

"Welkin! I can't! I don't have my lance with me! It's impossible for me to utilise my full power without it!" Alicia cried out.

Welkin couldn't say anything, as he was unable to find a way to bring back Alicia's lance.

"...Then use your powers to summon it to your side!" Marisa shouted, as she struggled to stand back up, while the rest of the group did so, along with Rosie and Largo. "I don't know what else we can do, but surely that the Valkyria hocus-pocus has something about a Valkyria being able to summon any lance that she wielded before to her side with a single thought! So will it! Will like there's no damn tomorrow, for your lance to come to your side!"

"Mari...!" Alicia exclaimed, before she then nodded. "Alright, we've come so far... And we can't fail right now! Please, oh gods above... Grant us the chance to turn the tides of battle to our favour!"

Alicia then closed her eyes, as she held her shield up with one hand, and the other outwards, hand open to clasp something, as her aura began to emanate.

Slowly but surely, there was the sound of metal being torn underneath her feet, as it grew closer and closer, before the very lance that Alicia used burst from underneath, as it flew up, right when Alicia clasped it right into her hand, allowing her to complete her transformation into a Valkyria.

"Alright... Rain, I'm coming...!" Alicia exclaimed, as she immediately sprinted towards Maximilian, who had Richard held up by the neck, and his lance pointed right at his chest.

"Any last words, before I send you to oblivion, like the ancient Valkyrur have done to your ancestors?" Maximilian asked with a cold tone.

"Just four..." Richard weakly wheezed. "We're not done yet..."

"What...!?" Maximilian exclaimed, before he turned to see what Richard was talking about, a charging Alicia, who immediately smacked Maximilian away, as Richard dropped to the ground wheezing and weak.

"Rain.. Are you alright...?" Alicia asked, as she helped Richard back up.

"I'm fine..." Richard stated. "I just need a moment for my own recovery to bring me back to working shape. I need a moment though... Take care of Maximilian, so that the others can get to the towers and destroy them!"

"Right!" Alicia nodded, before she turned to Maximilian, who was nothing short of incensed from the interruption.

"So I see, Gallia's Valkyria shows herself..." Maximilian stated, before he charged his lance up once again. "It matters not! My artificial Valkyria is vastly superior to that of any natural Valkyria!"

He then fired off a barrage of laser shots that sped towards Alicia, as she dodged most of them, and used her shield to block the rest, although the shots knocked her back with each one she blocked. She then immediately jumped up, before she then reenacted her spiralling attack against Selvaria, as Maximilian immediately thrust his artificial lance at her, as both lances clashed with each other briefly, before Alicia's power managed to knock both of them back from each other.

While Maximilian was occupied with Alicia, Sanae and Homer were busy using their ragna-aid diffusers to bring everyone back on their feet, as they immediately rushed forward, and peppered the remaining towers with every single bullet and rocket in their arsenal, as the last of the towers fell silent, and Maximilian's aura disappeared completely, and he was left completely stunned.

Before he could recover, he found himself slammed by the length of Alicia's lance on the chest, which managed to break his entire rib-cage and cause him to cough out copious amount of blood, as he was knocked across the strip's floor, before he immediately came to a halt, as he tried to get up, clutching his fractured chest.

"Impossible...! Ours is the power of the Valkyrur, combined with the wonders of science...!" Maximilian coughed. "How... how are We beaten by the likes of you peasants...!?"

"Maximilian, you lost the moment that you decided to rely on artificial strength to further your ambitions!" Welkin declared back.

"...It's all over for you, Maximilian...! Never shall the world have to suffer your own destructive ambitions!" Richard cried.

Maximilian immediately stood back up, as his lance was smoking and sparking, as it was damaged from the attack, and his eyes were back to normal, while Alicia depowered herself as well.

"Damn you... dogs of Gallia!" Maximilian cursed, as the rest of Squad 7 immediately moved up, as they pointed their weapons at the humiliated Imperial prince.

"It's time to surrender, Maximilian!" Welkin declared. "Your war is over!"

"Face your defeat with dignity and honour..." Richard told Maximilian with a serious expression. "At least Selvaria died without a single regret, for a heartless bastard like you..."

Maximilian only chuckled into response, as it then rose into crazed laughter.

"Surrender, you say?" Maximilian asked with a twisted smile on his face. "I think you forget. We Valkyrur can give our lives to fuel a hot blazing inferno of destruction!"

The towers then reactivated again, as they transferred energy again, except this time, the energy transfer was massive, more than what the energy towers could handle, as they exploded into pieces one by one, as Maximilian was once again covered with blue energy, except it was now in the form of a massive tall azure inferno. As he did so however, his body was torn even further, as he cried out in unbearable torment, as blood leaked from his mouth from the worsening of his wounds.

"D-Don't do this! It doesn't have to end like this!" Welkin shouted.

"That kind of power... It'll level the entire country if it's released!" Richard exclaimed with horror.

"It seems Our dreams are not to be. Well, then... Join Us. Let Gallia fall to ash!" Maximilian declared, as his aura burnt brighter and brighter.

"I won't let you!" Richard shouted, as he immediately charged at Maximilian with his blade poised in a thrust for Maximilian's heart.

While he charged, Maximilian instinctively pointed his lance down, as Richard was right in front of the lance itself, as it then charged.

And at the very same moment, both attacks were unleashed at the same time... Richard's blade cut right through Maximilian's heart and back, and Maximilian's lance went off, as it fired off a laser blast that tore a massive hole right through his abdomen, as everyone watched in horror and fear, as various cries of "Rain!" came out, with varying reactions.

Isara's face was twisted in despair, as the only Darcsen that stuck by her side ever since the start of this war was critically wounded, possibly even dead from the attack. Welkin's expression was of complete horror, which was mirrored on Alicia's face. Rosie looked completely horrified, as she watched as the Darcsen who made her see the error of her ways, fall and bleed before her, while Largo was completely frightened about the condition of his squadmate. Gus's expression was of genuine emotional agony, and Marisa's was of complete shock. Sanae was completely fearful, as tears leaked from her eyes, while Reisen looked extremely worried, even with how much she tried to stop herself from letting too much emotion show. Vyse was completely fearful, as the only stormtrooper in the squad that he could consider his brother-in-arms was wounded mortally.

Richard's expression was of complete shock, as he looked down at the bleeding hole in his abdomen, before he fell onto his knees. Maximilian was shocked completely as well, as Richard's blade slid out of his fatal wound, and he staggered backwards, towards a large vast open hatch, before he then screamed on his way down.

Before anyone could move to check Richard's wounds, there was a massive explosion of blue energy, potentially Maximilian's suicide blast, as a massive pilliar of blue light shot out of the hatch, causing everyone to immediately turn around and flee. Welkin and Alicia immediately went to Richard, as they immediately pulled him up, although the time it took to do so, was long enough for the blue pillar of energy to explode, as molten debris and fire rained onto the deck of the Marmota.

Alicia cried out in horror, as Welkin immediately held her, and covered her under him. And much to both of their surprise, Richard was standing back up, by some miraculous strength stored within his body, as he forced the both of them down, before spreading his arms and shield out, in order to cover both of them, as debris rained down around them. Suddenly, Welkin and Alicia could hear something falling down towards them, and then Richard shoving them away from him, as they watched as his golden form dissipated, and he was mouthing the word 'Go!'.

They then watched with horror, as a large piece of debris slammed down onto Richard, pinning him by the legs onto the ground.

"No!" Alicia cried out.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the squad managed to escape the rain of debris, as Largo coughed from the smoke getting into his lungs.

"Damn it! The boss, the little missus, and our resident dark-haired hero are still in there!" Largo exclaimed between coughs.

"Hey, boss! Alicia! Rain! You two okay?" Rosie called out out loud to the trio.

Welkin and Alicia heard her, as they turned away from Richard, before looking at each other.

"Welkin, you alright?" Alicia asked Welkin.

"Yeah, except for that..." Welkin stated, as he looked back at the wall of flames that was blocking their way back from the Marmota's deck. "Our way is blocked off. And Rain..."

Welkin then immediately ran over as close to the flames as he could bear, before he called out back to the group on the other side.

"The entire deck's gone up! We can't cross!" Welkin shouted. "All of you, go on and get out of here!"

"Not a chance, boss-" Rosie was about to say, before she was interrupted by Marisa.

"No way! We're not leaving our friend to die here, and neither we will for both of you either!" Marisa yelled back with a frantic tone. "We either leave together or not at all!"

"We're going to look around and find a way to connect to your side!" Largo cried with determination to Welkin and Alicia.

"There's no time for that! Stay here any longer and you put the whole squad at risk!" Welkin argued back. "Listen, I'm not saying this again! You're going to leave now. That's an order!"

Largo's only response was to punch the ground hard. "Damnit all!" Largo screamed with fury, before he then turned to the entire squad. "7's! We're leaving! Get off the Marmota! We got the Princess with us, so we better do what boss says, or she's going to be hurt with us!"

"No way! I'm not leaving any of them, especially R-" Marisa was about to complain, before she was then knocked out by Reisen with a nerve-pinch.

"Don't worry. I'll deal with Mari." Reisen assured the squad. "We need to get off... I'm sure that Welkin and Alicia will find a way to get Rain out of here with them!"

Gus immediately looked back, while the others left, as he looked back at the wall of flames.

'_Richard... Please be safe... Surely you won't let this be the end for you... Right?_' He thought, before he immediately joined the others getting off the Marmota.

Welkin and Alicia immediately looked back at Richard, who was still bleeding heavily from his abdomen wound, already very weak from the blood loss. They immediately rushed over to Richard.

Richard immediately looked up to them, as they tried to get the piece of debris off his legs, although it didn't budge at all with their measly strength.

"Don't... waste your energy... Welkin... Alicia..." Richard rasped weakly. "...Leave me here... I won't make it out of here alive with these kind of wounds..."

"Don't say that! We have a ragna-aid dispenser with Alicia! Just hang on! We'll get you out of here with us!" Welkin shouted back, as Alicia hastily applied the ragna-aid onto Richard's wound, although it did nothing but lessen the rate of blood loss. "No... try again...! You can still make it!"

"Welkin... Alicia... Stop...! You'll end up dying if you stay here with me!" Richard croaked back, as he tried to raise his voice. "You already told your squad to leave... Now it's your turn to get out! I can't make it out of this situation with these kinds of wounds! What part of that do you not understand!?"

"Everything! You allowed me to realise my own mistakes, Rain, and you have helped us all along! You were like a second leader to the squad!" Welkin shouted, as he was becoming increasingly desperate and panicked. "You can't just die here! I won't allow it!"

"Welkin! Listen to me!" Richard shouted with a cracked voice. "I know that you want to leave no-one behind to die, but in a choice where you die with me, or letting me die alone, you must know that some situations can't be salvaged, no matter what! If you keep trying, then you'll have died for nothing, Welkin and Alicia! Nothing! Do you want that to happen? I can't die knowing that I was the one who caused your death! I cannot allow you both to die in vain!"

"Rain..." Alicia stated, as she began to tear up. "I just need to summon up my strength as a Valkyria... And then... And then...!"

"You won't have the time..." Richard muttered weakly. "Before you could regain that power, you'll be blown to pieces with me... So please, save yourselves... Don't die for someone who wanted to bring the name and reputation of the Darcsens back into society..."

He then slowly picked up his shield and sword, before giving it to Alicia.

"...Take these... Give them to Isara... Or any other Darcsen..." Richard told them. "If you truly are afraid that I will die without nothing left in my memory... Then take these... Let them represent the last will of a Darcsen soldier, who only fought for his country, because he wanted to prove that his race deserved to be considered their own kind of heroes..."

Welkin accepted both of the weapons silently, as Alicia could only quietly sob, while Richard looked up to him, and smiled.

"Now go.. A future where you two can live happily ever after... awaits you... So live... Live and show that war can give birth to new life... Like you told me, Welkin and Alicia..." Richard told them.

"...Yeah... Just like then..." Welkin muttered, as tears ran down his cheek. "I'm sorry... Rain... I'm sorry that I couldn't save you..."

"Don't be... Even if I die, at least I die knowing that I saved Gallia with my own blade and shield..." Richard weakly coughed. "It's... the highest honour... that I could have.. before I meet my death without regret..."

Welkin and Alicia immediately stood up, as they looked up, where they saw that the upper decks are still safe to traverse.

"Right... Let's move..." Welkin stated, as he and Alicia immediately left the area, leaving Richard alone, as he was bleeding, trapped, without any signs of help.

"Ah shit... Never expected that Maximilian would have pulled that kind of trick on me..." Richard sighed deeply, as he chuckled weakly in amusement. "...I guess that I really pushed him to his limits, and maybe I should have never provoked him in the first place..."

Richard then sighed again, before he closed his eyes. "Well... Not like that I never died before... I'm well and familiar with the feeling of death..." Richard stated. "I couldn't even explain how many methods of deaths that I have experienced all over 'that' time. I clearly remember the last time I died... A beheading by that damned moon-bitch herself... Well, at least Welkin believed I died a hero... And that's all I care about-"

Before he could speak, he heard footsteps, as he looked around for the source, expecting Welkin and Alicia coming back to him, only to see that it was Cordelia herself, who charged right through the flames with ceremonial lance in her hand, and a green aura around her that seemed to ward the flames from her body.

"Princess...?" Richard weakly uttered. "Why...? Why have you risked yourself... Just to get to me...?"

"Because I shall save you..." Cordelia responded back. "This is not where you will die... Because I haven't repaid you for everything you have done. Perhaps saving you would be a fair payment for the deeds."

"Save me...?' Richard asked, before he laughed dryly. "Princess... I'm bleeding to death, and I'm completely stuck... Unless your magic can heal having been pierced through the stomach, I truly don't think that you can help me here..."

"As a matter of fact, I am able to do that." Cordelia responded back, as she immediately tapped her lance back onto the ground of the Marmota, before the same green aura from before appeared, as it funnelled right into Richard's stomach wound, as it slowly ceased bleeding, and the flesh immediately regrew in but a few moments, much to Richard's surprise. This allowed Richard to gain the strength to turn around and push himself out under the rubble.

"How did you...!?" Richard exclaimed.

"It turns out that you're not the only Darcsen with these supernatural powers." Cordelia smiled back. "I have also cleared away your fatigue and exhaustion, so that you can transform once again. So... Will you take us safely out of this place...?"

Richard then looked up where Alicia and Welkin were, before he turned back, and nodded.

"Of course. I can do that. But I'll need to do something first." Richard answered back, before he immediately scooped up the Gallian princess into a bridal carry. "There we go, that way, you won't fall during my run. Now then, to safety we go, like a white knight escorting a princess like you."

Cordelia could only smile back, although she was still startled by how Richard suddenly got her in a bridal carry. Richard then immediately reactivated his transformation, as he immediately sprinted right through the flame wall, as the Marmota began to explode around them, as he slid and moved across the strip, before they managed to reach the lower decks, with the wave of destruction on the Marmota close on their heels.

"Hang tight, your highness!" Richard shouted. "Because I'm going into overdrive!"

Richard then immediately burst with even faster speeds, as they dashed right off the Marmota.

* * *

_Faraway from the Marmota..._

The entire squad watched as the Marmota was slowly being destroyed.

"I sure hope that Rain made it out alive..." Sanae stated, in a worried tone, watching the Marmota's destruction

"And what about Welks and Alicia...?" Isara wondered as well.

"I'm sure that they have their own way of getting out of here. After all, Welkin's got Alicia and Rain, and they're both strong and fast enough to carry him out." Rosie remarked.

Zaka then immediately rushed up to the group, as he looked quite horrified.

"Guys, I have really bad news... The princess is gone from the Shamrock..!" Zaka exclaimed. "I don't know where she is, but I have a bad feeling about this.

"What...!?" Gus exclaimed. "Why would the princess would even...!?"

Everyone turned to the wreck, as they watched as the Valkof began to explode, as light poured out of the many cracks, before it then exploded, taking the Marmota with it, as everyone was shocked.

Sanae was completely devastated, as she fell onto her knees, her expression completely blank, as she stared at the wreck of the Marmota, with tears leaking from her eyes. Everyone looked at Sanae, as they watched the wreck, and each of them gave a solemn salute, in memory of Rain, and some of them had their heads bowed in silence.

"...Damnit..." Marisa cursed. "You stupid idiot... Why did you have to go and take Maximilian out yourself...?"

"...Rain..." Gus muttered. "I guess that this was your choice all along."

Reisen didn't speak at all, although there was great sadness in her eyes.

"You know... For a dark-hair... You were one of the best ones that I ever had the chance to meet." Rosie admitted. "And now you do this... You really care about this squad more than yourself... I guess that things change in life."

"Rain..." Isara muttered, as she then clasped her hands together in front of her in prayer. "I hope that you would be happy wherever you are, possibly where my own father is..."

In the solemn moment of silence, the group managed to hear the sound of rapid footsteps coming their direction, as they looked up and saw that Richard was sprinting at the speed of a car, dashing right at them, with a fainted Cordelia in his arms, surprising everyone, and causing their jaws to drop.

He then stopped right in front of them, with a casual smile on his face.

"...Hey." Richard stated, before he then laid Cordelia on the ground. Just after he did so however, he was tackle-hugged by a bawling Sanae and Marisa, as he was tackled onto the ground. He was then joined by Isara, who attacked him with a tight embrace from another side.

"Rain... I'm so glad... Glad that you managed to make it...!" Isara spoke with great relief.

"Hey, what the hell...!?" Rosie exclaimed with confusion. "How the hell did you make it out, with that kind of wound!?"

"Funny you should ask..." Richard answered back, as he lifted up his uniform, to reveal that the puncturing wound was now merely a faint scar. "Turns out that the princess went back for me, using her magical healing stuff to restore me back to good health, and revitalised me enough to allow me to transform again, allowing me to outrun the Marmota's destruction in time. So I have the princess to thank for me being right here."

Reisen merely shook her head at Richard, although she had a faint smile of relief on her lips. Richard immediately crossed his arms.

"Well... I guess that this is going to be one hell of a thing to claim. Turns out that Lady Fate herself favours me so much, that she wants me to stay with you guys." Richard joked, before he was decked in the face by Rosie.

"Not funny! You almost died there!" Rosie scolded Richard.

"Right, right. Sorry about that." Richard answered back, before he then pointed up to the sky. "And look, there's a plane in the sky!"

Everyone looked up, as they were amazed by how a small wooden biplane soared through the skies, as there were two figures on top of it, especially Isara.

"My... My plane..." Isara stated, as she was moved to tears. "They... They really did it...! They finished the plane!"

They watched as the plane flew towards Randgriz, as everyone immediately followed its path.

"Looks like we'll need to get back in Randgriz, if we're going to meet our loved lieutenant once again!" Richard stated. "Time to head back home and celebrate victory as a squad! Zaka, take the princess. She's done enough for both me and all of us."

"...Will do." Zaka nodded, as he took the princess again, this time making sure that she wouldn't suddenly disappear from inside.

Everyone made their way back to Randgriz, as the ones who slain the prince who wished to sunder all in his wake...

* * *

_The 25th day of October, 1935..._

_The death of Maximilian, commander of the Empire's invasion of Gallia, paved the way for truce between the two nations._

_After seven tumultuous months at war, Gallians everywhere looked forward to a time of hard-won peace. _

_Squad 7 of the Gallian militia disbanded shortly after the conflict's conclusion, and its members began to move on, each following their own path. Although not before they were bestowed honours and awards for being the ones who ended the final conflict._

**_Attached was a picture of all of Squad 7's officers, including Isara and Richard's friends, as they had the round medal of the Saviour of Gallia medals in front of their chests, a golden medal with the image of the royal castle, crossed over by both spear and lance, with a golden ribbon, and the word 'GALLIA' inscribed on the front. Richard and Welkin were standing in front of the group, as Welkin and Richard saluted back to a smiling Cordelia, as they also had the Order of the Golden Wings on their uniform, as it was a octogonal crest with a golden border, sapphire gems encrusted on the 4 directions, and a golden eagle on the centre of a white backdrop._**

_And here, at the end of their long struggle, I lay my pen to rest. _

_Irene Koller... Signing off._

**_A picture of the entire squad, who were gathered up in front of a camera stand, as they posed in their own manner, as the officers and Richard's group flocked close to their commander,__ Welkin._**

* * *

_A few days later, at the front gate of Randgriz..._

"Are you sure that you're leaving...?" Welkin asked, having changed back into his civilian outfit, due to Squad 7 having disbanded officially, as Alicia was with him, dressed in a blue and white civilian dress.

Richard and his group were dressed back to the same civilian clothes that they first came into the world in, as Richard was the one that was speaking with Welkin and Alicia, as Sanae was trying her best not to tear up, while Gus looked a little sad as well. Everyone, except for Sanae, had their own weapons on their back, as they have been emptied of any ammo, inside of their large backpacks.

"Sorry, Welkin... But my mind is truly set." Richard responded back. "We don't exactly belong in Gallia... And I decided that we would wander Europa, and get to see the world around us. You know... It was because we wandered the world, that I managed to meet you all those months ago... Who knew that I would be taken into a adventure that brought us close to each other."

"Is that so...?" Welkin asked, as he was quite reluctant to see Richard off.

"Hey, don't be sad, Welkin and Alicia." Richard assured Welkin with a smile. "It's not like that we don't plan to return at all. We just simply have learned so much about the world around us... More than we could back in our old village. And seeing all of the different things in the world... I decided that I would travel across all of Europa, and help the people all around the world. Just because Gallia's done with the war, doesn't mean that everything is fine elsewhere."

"But... You're not even a soldier anymore..." Alicia responded back. "None of you are..."

"We know, we know. We're not going to be joining any more wars, I'll tell you that." Richard answered back with a casual tone. "We had enough of our share of battles for our entire life. We're just going to stick to roaming this entire continent, and just enjoying ourselves. Hell, one day, I might actually be lucky enough to meet someone like you, or Alicia."

"But what about your weapons...? Did you really have to take them with you...?" Welkin asked Richard.

"Oh, I decided to keep them as memoirs of the war that I fought for the sake of this country. After all, they were the product of our own will to protect those we care about, and the freedom and independence of all within our boundaries." Richard answered back with a sigh and a frown. "Still... Nothing's going to hurt more than resting every moment, thinking about this damn squad... So much has happened... And we won't meet again for a very long time... It feels just sad to deal with that..."

Everyone was silent, before Richard then spoke again, as his smile was back on his face. "Well, it's time for us to go." Richard said. "Tell Captain, and all the other guys and girls in the squad that we'll see them again in time. In fact, tell Vyse that I expect him to live his life like a wild and determined beast, and then tell Aisha that she should enrol herself in a military academy, because I have the feeling that she'll be one heck of an officer. Also tell Wavy that I send his my best wishes for his life with his family. After all, he's managed to come back alive, and a winner for his family. I'd say more for the others... But I really don't know what to say about them... I feel like that I'm abandoning you guys, but somehow, I feel like that the bonds we have made won't disappear like that. Who knows...? I might actually send letters to you, to tell you how I'm doing so far, and I expect you to reply to me, because that's what friends expect of each other..."

Welkin nodded, as Alicia did so too. "Then maybe one day... We'll see all of you again, and we would talk about the times we had, while we were away from each other." He replied back. "That good with you, Rain and guys...?"

"Hah... It's a promise then, Welkin. Make sure that you take care of Alicia well, because she sure as hell need a guy like you to be by her side in this dynamic world." Richard chuckled, before he turned to the rest of his group. "Come on, why the long silence! Let's say a few goodbyes to our old friends, won't we!?"

"Welkin, Alicia... I want to say thank you for all you have done for us." Gus responded back, with a short bow. "I only hope that we will meet again with everyone else, so that we can celebrate our time as a squad in this war, because of the bonds we have made."

"Aw shucks... I'm not exactly good with saying goodbyes at times like this." Marisa groaned, before she then faced Welkin and Alicia. "Welkin, Alicia... You better not mess yourselves up, because Isara wouldn't be happy if her own brother had problems without us!"

"We hope to see you again one day as well, Welkin, Alicia." Reisen responded to them with a faint smile.

"Welkin! Alicia! Take care and live a happy life!" Sanae cheered back with a energetic smile.

Welkin nodded back, as he was smiling. "Thank you... All of you." Welkin stated, before he then rummaged through his pockets. "Before you go, Rain... I want you to have this."

He then pulled out a woven version of the emblem of Squad 7, as Richard took it with a gasp, before looking down at it with wide surprised eyes. After a few moments, he immediately clenched the emblem in his hand, as he had tears of joys and a wide smile on his face.

"Welkin... Thank you for this..." Richard responded back calmly, before he then turned around. "Alright, time for us to jet out of Randgriz, and start our journey through Europa!"

Richard and his group immediately left the gates, as Welkin and Alicia watched them.

"Take care... Rain... Mari... Remy... Sally... and Gus..." Welkin muttered silently under his breath.

* * *

_In the outskirts..._

Richard's group walked down the path in front of them, as Randgriz was getting further and further away from their sight.

"Well... That was quite the war we had..." Richard remarked with a smile. "So tell me, how did you guys feel about being a part of the famed Squad 7 of Gallia? Sure is nice that we're lauded as actual war heroes, right?"

"Yeah... I guess that it's much better that we managed to save so many lives..." Gus stated. "I never thought that this war would have been much better than the last war we ever fought in... But still... The Empire is truly ruthless... Not even the worst of the Outside World forces would dare to execute civilians with little justification, and create concentration camps like the one in Fouzen..."

"Ah, who cares...? It's not like we care about the war in general, right...?" Marisa scoffed. "I managed to enjoy blowing shit up with whatever weapon I had in hand. And boy, do I like that damn Petard. It sure is one hell of a thing. Still doesn't beat my Hakkero in destroying things. After all, we fought and we won like ordinary humans. I might actually have to call myself the Ordinary Blonde Soldier, in addition to my Ordinary Black-White Magician title."

"Either way... The war has ended in our favour." Reisen stated. "Gallia is now indebted to us, and countless lives have been saved, from the worst outcome of the Empire succeeding to utilise the Valkof to destroy all of Europa in a wave of death and destruction. I was tempted to use our full power to destroy Maximilian and the Marmota with him, but it seems that we and Squad 7 are far more than he can handle, even if he tried to play god."

"Not to mention that we managed to save all those innocent lives... Isara lives... And those Darcsens in the concentration camp..." Sanae remarked with a content tone. "If it wasn't for our intervention... They would have all died because of cruel fate... Just goes to show that we're not the kind of people to take this kind of unjustified death lying down. And I actually feel more sorry for Selvaria... After she just wanted to fight one last time as a Valkyria. I'm glad that you gave her it."

"Heh. To each their own, I guess." Richard responded back to all of them. "Personally, I feel better, now that Welkin's not as much of a air-head and morally blind idealist like he was in canon. With my help, it'll be smooth sailing for him and Alicia, because I personally gave her the fire in her heart to acknowledge that she doesn't need to inhibit her own Valkyrian powers, just to be 'normal'. And I can be happy that Isara will be able to become an aunt to their future child. All is well in this world, as it should be."

"Uh... About that..." Sanae awkwardly said, as she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I don't Isara is staying with Welkin and Alicia..."

"What the hell do you even mean-" Richard demanded, as he turned to Sanae with a serious expression.

Before he could continue, he could hear loud footsteps, as they turned around to see a severely exhausted Isara sprinting after them, before she then stopped mid-way to catch her breath, while the others walked over to her.

"Isara...?" Gus asked.

"...Wait... Wait for me..." Isara panted heavily, as she wheezed a little. "I... I want to go with you all..."

"Why...?" Richard asked with genuine concern. "Why would you want to go with us? Don't you want to stay with your brother, Welkin...?"

"Well... I couldn't just ignore what Sally told me... Or should I say... Sanae...?" Isara responded back, as she finally regained her breath, just as the others lost it in shock.

"...You know her true name...?" Marisa asked with a astonished tone.

"Of course... She told me it... while you guys were occupied with welcoming Welkin and Alicia back, after they landed with the plane that Kreis, Leon and I have made together." Isara explained. "She told me to come with me for a moment to somewhere, and when I did come and ask her what she wanted, she literally hugged me and bawled herself out. She told me not just your real names, but everything... About there being other worlds than the one we're in, about how she's like a ancient magic user, and that all of you had your own kind of magic, and how you pretended to be from this world, and why you did all of that."

Richard turned back to Sanae with a glare, causing her to shrink back with a slightly fearful expression, before he then sighed and looked back at Isara with apologetic eyes.

"...Now you know..." Richard responded back. "I'm sorry that I had to deceive you all. It's not exactly good for other-worlders like us to be considered such, so we pretended to be like the people here... Those fake names were the only thing we faked. Everything else... was genuine, like the bond we have made with you, and our feelings for Gallia. But even knowing this... Why have you come for us...? We were planning to leave this world, and return in a later time. We never planned to truly abandon you Isara... And I am satisfied enough that I saved you from a death that you were fated to suffer. I didn't want to drag you into our own kind of mess..."

"But that's exactly why I came..." Isara stated. "I care for you all, because you all treated me just as well as my brother and Alicia did, and you, Richard... You cared for me so well, that I couldn't stand to leave you... Sanae told me more about you... About how you did all of this, because you truly cared for everyone that you met, about how, even in your true self, you strived to save as many lives as you could... And that you put your friends above everything else... That's why... I want to go with you... So that you'll be able to have me fighting alongside you. After all, if I was truly meant to die back then... Then I owe you my life, Richard... I want to go with you, and help even more people, like I did with Welks and the rest of Gallia."

"...Does Welkin know of this...?" Richard asked stoically.

"I did tell him several reasons why I wanted to come with you, but I never told him about who you all truly were." Isara answered back, shaking her head in denial. "He eventually agreed to let me go, because he knows that all of you would be able to keep me safe and sound, no matter wherever you all went, and I believe in that as well..."

"...But do you... Are you aware of the many different threats that lie within the other worlds?" Richard sternly questioned Isara. "Every single threat we face is more dangerous than the Empire, and their individual power far exceed that of even Maximilian, making him seem like a firefly compared to the very sun. You could possibly die, even with the help of everyone... And you'll face dilemmas that no person could ever imagine, and suffering that could possibly break you several times over... Even knowing this...? Do you still wish to walk the same path as we do... as travellers of the dimensions...?"

"I do... Sanae told me the very same thing... And I gave her the same answer." Isara stated. "I may not be as strong as the rest of you, and I don't have any mythical and magical powers of my own... But I'll do my best to do what I can to improve. I'll learn everything regarding the technology you have, and I'll work myself to improving everything that you all have. I can use my own skills to make your army and organisation better than before, and I'm happy to do just that, because the more I help... The more you all can fight for the sake of those who deserve to be helped by people like you..."

Richard was silent for a moment, as he looked into Isara's eyes, as they blazed with a determination that couldn't be easily snuffed out, no matter what kind of hardship she would face. Looking into that very passion through her eyes, Richard slowly relented to Isara's choice, before he then sighed with a smile.

"...I guess that you won't take no for an answer, Isara... If you really want to help, even knowing the dangers that await you... I'm happy to bring you with us." Richard answered back, before he then embraced Isara tightly. "Don't worry. I'll make sure that you won't regret making this choice. In fact, when Welkin sees you again... He'll be proud of you, once he knows the truth."

Isara was surprised by the hug, before she then returned it with her own, as they held together for a few moments, with the others watching their caring embrace, with Sanae letting out a long-drawn 'Aaawww~' in response, with a euphoric expression.

After a few moments, Richard let go, before he then immediately summoned his communicator.

"Hello, hello?" Richard asked, through his communicator. "Nitori, I've found someone that you might be very interested to see. Take her as your apprentice. I can guarantee you that her performance as engineer and researcher is going to surprise you quite hard. In fact, I think that she's like you."

There was some indistinguishable chatter from Richard's communicator, in Nitori's voice, before Richard then turned off the communicator, and then immediately opened up a sukima nearby, as Gus and the others entered.

Richard then grabbed Isara's hand, as he slowly guided her into the portal, with a warm smile.

"Isara..." Richard stated, as he slowly moved into the sukima. "Welcome to the Unmei Force."

He then entered it fully, as Isara went in as well.

While he moved through the portal, another X-stone formed into Richard's hand, as it was a red stone with the symbol of a glowing flame on it.

'_A will that has been tempered through the flames of combat... You have proven yet worthy once again, young warrior... How many remain, until the time of truth comes, I wonder...?_'

* * *

_In Mugen's realm..._

Selvaria immediately woke up, lying completely flat on the ground, as she gasped for air from her lungs. She immediately sat up, and looked around, only to see darkness wherever she looked.

"What is this ominous place...?" Selvaria asked herself. "I recall utilising the Final Flame to raze Ghirlandaio and the Gallian army to the ground... So why... Why do I still live, and why have I ended up here...?"

She then looked down at her sides, as she could see her lance and shield beside her, surprising her greatly.

"How... How did my lance and shield have arrived by my side...?" Selvaria asked, as she picked them up.

"Because I decided that you needed them to be able to work properly." Mugen told her, as he appeared in front of her, as the silver-haired Valkyria immediately poised herself for battle.

"Who are you...!?" Selvaria demanded. "Why have you kidnapped me!?"

"Kidnapped...?" Mugen asked with a raised eyebrow, before he then wagged his finger with a cocky grin. "Oh no no no. I didn't kidnap you. I resurrected you from your own death. Pretty hard, since you literally atomised yourself, but with some more energy, I managed to collect enough of you to make you whole once again. So you should thank you for bringing you back to life-"

Selvaria immediately thrust her lance right at Mugen, who immediately used the black gauntlet on his arm to catch it, as it didn't budge under his grip, with Selvaria trying to force it through, with grit teeth.

"Now now, it's rude to bite the hand that feeds you, Selvaria Bles." Mugen warned Selvaria, shaking his head in a disappointed manner. "I just simply want to have you join my little group, so that I can start spreading my influence through this very multiverse."

"I have nothing to speak for a dishonourable necromancer..." Selvaria coldly hissed. "My allegiance for His Grace will not be shaken by your petty attempts!"

"But what I told you that 'His Grace' Maximilian is dead?" Mugen responded back with a chuckle. "What will you do then? Take your life in order to pay for the death of your own 'love'..."

"...Impossible..." Selvaria muttered, as she lost her will to fight on, as her lance clattered to the ground. "His Grace... cannot be dead..."

"I wouldn't lie, dear Selvaria... Or would you like definitive proof that he is well and truly dead?" Mugen stated. "I can assure you that it ain't a pretty sight. You might even retch at how your dear Prince has been mutilated by his own desires."

"What... What do you mean...?" Selvaria responded back.

"Dear Maximilian tried to artificially utilise the power of the Valkyria. You know what that would have meant for you..." Mugen continued. "He tried to play god, and he was struck down with retribution for his arrogance and destructive pride. You see, 'His Grace' cares not for your own life. In fact, he doesn't even have a single shred of sympathy for you. He only wanted that power within you, and when he got what he needed, and when you failed him, he disposed of you, telling you to burn yourself to death in a self-destructive motion. And look where it got you, cold and dead, while Maximilian continued across the land, collecting the Valkof, and using it to raze everything in his path like a irresponsible child. In fact, had he lived, he would have literally turned Europa into a sea of flames, just to conquer the entire land. I kind of hate the omnicidal bastard, who wouldn't hesistate to burn his own family. A karmic death, that his own power is what ended him along with the Marmota."

Selvaria was struck silent, as she was trying to come to terms with Maximilian's death.

"But don't worry. I'm far better than he'll ever be. At least I'm coming truthfully onto you, Selvaria." Mugen remarked. "I won't lie, I need your power, but I won't abuse or neglect you, as long as you do not question my orders and try to keep things the way I like it. Everything else, will be of your own wish. In fact, if you love Maximilian so much, I can bring him back from the grave, and make him finally understand your own love to him. And then we'll come out with both of us winning, you get to have Maximilian married with you, and I'll have my purpose fulfilled. Hell, I'll just simply remove that damned arrogance of his, and he'd be a decent person to have."

Selvaria looked at Mugen with eyes filled with disbelief, before Mugen then turned back to her.

"So then, Selvaria... What will it be? Will you come with me willingly, and get what you wish..." Mugen offered. "Or do I have to temporarily use desperate measures to make you work for me one way or the other."

Selvaria looked at Mugen, before then back down at the ground, as she thought about her own debt to Maximilian, and then Richard's words to her in their final battle. It didn't take long for her to make her decision.

"Very well... I shall do as you please... At least give me your name." Selvaria answered back, with slight disdain from her voice.

"Well, I'm not one to reject a lady." Mugen stated, before he bowed deeply. "Mugen... The one who will make the gods tremble, and all fear my name... I look forward to working with you... Dear Selvaria."

* * *

**Unmei Force: Soldiers**

**E N D**


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